Old (Vanished) Fishermen's Cottages
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Near the Pont de France once stood the Maisons des Pêcheurs (Fishermen’s Houses), just behind the bridge’s left arch, as seen from House of Bouillon’s terrace.
They were humble, charming homes. Whether true fishermen lived there is unclear, but fishing was a common local activity.
Local legends abound. One tells of night fishing for salmon: the fishermen floated on the river in flat-bottom boats, lighting bundles of hay to attract the fish, then spearing them.
One eccentric resident, Hubert Damilot (“le Bér”), was hairy and rarely visited the barber. His sons Gaston (“Singlé,” meaning wild boar) and Julien (“Dudule,” after a French vaudeville character) were also local personalities.
Bombings in 1942 (targeting the nearby bridge) damaged the houses beyond repair. They were demolished in the 1950s.
