In front of the main bridge in town, the 'Pont des Tourelles' we saw before, used to stand the Châtelet fortress. This fortress was constructed in order to control the bridge. Almost nothing remains today of this old structure.
Since the construction of this fortress, this quarter became the town's commercial center. Although markets are not held anymore in the public squares, the quarter has not lost its commercial spirit. In the 20th century, a big covered market, the 'Halles Châtelet', was built close to where the fortress used to stand. You can see in the picture one of the shops in the market.