Number 3 of the historical tour
Since it was founded, Romont has suffered numerous fires. As early as the 13th century, lightning destroyed the first church. In the 15th century, the town introduced a certain number of firefighting measures. The maisonneurs* (town mayor’s warden) would check that the houses had buckets and tanks to fight fires while also inspecting chimneys and ovens. If any negligence was detected, sanctions were applied. Despite all these fires, it is still possible to admire a few of the town’s old facades. The facade of the Café Suisse dates back to 1576.
There have always been numerous inns in Romont. The Saint-Georges and the Couronne were already open for business in the 16th century. In 1775, there were as many as 24 such establishments, representing almost one restaurant for every 50 inhabitants!
Since 2020, the building has housed the Café-Restaurant Au Suisse.
*Maisonneur (town mayor’s warden) : post in local government during the Middle Ages; roughly corresponds to a city architect.