A getaway in Haute-Provence
Forcalquier market, from the Bourguet to Saint-Michel
Text and photographs by Vincent Flachaire
On Mondays, stalls fill the Bourguet and the streets of Forcalquier as far as the Saint-Michel fountain. Fruit, fabrics and produce from Haute-Provence continue a trading tradition that stretches back centuries.
Merchants and the roads to Forcalquier
The Monday market is documented from the 12th century. In 1229, Count Raimond-Bérenger required merchants from the county travelling to or returning from Provence to pass through Forcalquier and Peyruis. Certain crossings of the Durance were forbidden to them: routes were regulated to encourage trade in the town.
On this Whit Monday, fruit and vegetables fill the stalls on the Bourguet: an opportunity for a photographic visit.
Market pitches in high demand
Occasional stallholders wait for their names to be called; the market officer measures out pitches with long strides. Some traders even sleep on site to avoid missing the allocation. This scene takes place before shoppers arrive. It was described in an article in Le Monde in August 2003.
A market officer still manages the pitches today. The town lists around two hundred traders spread across the squares, boulevards and streets of the old centre.
A market for producers and traders
The market offers produce from Haute-Provence and the Forcalquier area: Banon cheese, einkorn wheat, olive oils and honey. On the stall pictured below, fruit juices, jars and olives are displayed beneath a sign for the Association des producteurs du marché de Digne-les-Bains.
Banon is recognisable by the chestnut leaves wrapped around the goat’s cheese.
Monday shopping goes beyond food: trays of soap, lavender sachets and baskets also fill the stalls.
Customers from the other side of Lure
In the 14th century, a cloth merchant in Forcalquier recorded his sales in a journal that survives to this day. His customers included residents of Curel and Les Omergues.
Curel and Les Omergues lie in the Jabron valley, on the other side of the Montagne de Lure, north of Forcalquier.
Saint-Michel, a historic market square
Place Saint-Michel, in the old centre, already hosted the medieval market. A fountain was installed in the early 16th century. A washhouse, now gone, completed the facilities: people came here to shop, collect water and wash their laundry.
Between the parasols, animal heads, foliage and small human figures can be seen on the fountain’s pillar. Some depict children’s games: bodies grapple, climb and tumble beneath the water spouts.
The round basin is more recent than these carvings: it replaced the original octagonal basin in 1912.
Pierre Magnan at the market café
Pierre Magnan also frequented Forcalquier market. In a report published in 2011, journalist Klaus Simon accompanies him one Monday morning, from the stalls to the café.
His readers join him there to talk about his novels.
Spend the rest of the day around Forcalquier
After the market, continue through the lanes to the citadel. For another nearby outing, Mane and Salagon Priory are close by; further west lies the Rotonde de Simiane.
Places to stay nearby: bed and breakfasts around Forcalquier and the Montagne de Lure.
Practical information
Planning your visit to Forcalquier market
- Day and opening hours
- Monday mornings throughout the year, generally from 8 am to 1 pm. The photographs on this page were taken on a Whit Monday.
- Route and access
- Allow one to two hours for the Bourguet stalls, the streets of the old centre, Place Saint-Michel and a break. The climb to the citadel takes additional time. Leave your car outside the market area; in summer, the town hall advertises dedicated parking and shuttle services. Check the arrangements before travelling.
Official websites: Monday market and access · map of Forcalquier.
Extend your stay
Guest houses to extend your getaway
These properties listed on the Portal are within 25 km as the crow flies of the location featured in this getaway. Visit their websites to plan your stay.
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