Rue du Gros-Horloge

View of the street
Shown within France
Coordinates	49°26′31.322″N 1°05′4.061″E / 49.44203389°N 1.08446139°E / 49.44203389; 1.08446139
From	Place de la Cathédrale
To	Place du Vieux-Marché

The Rue du Gros-Horloge is the main public pedestrian thoroughfare in the French city of Rouen.^[1]

Origin of the name

It takes its name from the Gros Horloge, one of the emblematic monuments of the city.

Historical

It is possible that the street is located on the axis corresponding to the decumanus of the Gallo-Roman city of Rotomagus, the former name of Rouen.

In 1527, the street was spanned by a stone arch, which then led to the old town hall.

It bore the names of "Grande-Rue", "rue Courvoiserie", "rue Courvoyserie", "rue Massacre", "rue Vanterie", "rue Wanterie" before reverting to the name "Grande-Rue" during the Revolution before taking its current name.^[2]

In 1932, the first Monoprix store in France opened there, under the name Noma, a contraction of “nouveau magasin” (new store).

In 1971, the street became the first pedestrian street in France.^[3]