Market place

Originally, in the 14th century, the Montlhéry market was held on the Place de la Souche, then known as the old market place. In the Middle Ages, it was a market for fodder, straw and grain. Its history is also punctuated by bloody events, or happier ones, which attest to its function as a place of justice and assembly. In 1589, the triple public execution of Guillaume Dumant, Innocent Moreau and Olivier Hurtault took place here. On the eve of the Revolution, in April 1789, due to grain shortages, the cost of living and subsistence problems, the market square was packed with people. Inhabitants came to demonstrate their discontent. Later, on 12 February 1793, a perennial oak tree was planted there as a symbol of order, union and fraternity.

Finally, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the market moved to its current namesake square. It began with a wooden market hall and a small tower with a clock on top. The market included more than 40 small shops selling manufactured goods and local produce (vegetables, fruit, game and fish). Montlhéry was renowned at the time for selling cereals. The weekly market was held on Mondays, the day of solemn pleas. The covered market and clock tower were finally demolished in 1916, before a covered market was rebuilt in 1965. This in turn was demolished in 1991. Today, the market square is a lively place where traders meet all year round on Mondays and Saturdays.