Parade in front of the Les Halles building, Cantonal Festival of Fribourg Singers, Bulle, 13.05.1933 © Photo Charles Morel Musée gruérien

The Halles building dates from 1787. A trading centre for grain for the regions of La Gruyère and Pays-d'Enhaut, this edifice was the first to be rebuilt after the fire of 1805.
Formerly this building was used as a grain hall; destroyed by the fire of 1805, it was the first to be rebuilt by the authorities according to the plans of 1787. Aware that "the most important activity is the sale of grain" and that "Bulle is the granary of the entire region", the town council decided five days after the fire to rebuild the structure immediately and improve its environment. The hall then had three granaries at ground level, including the large public granary, and twelve granaries on the first floor. The new adjoining inn, the ground floor of which served as a "work yard" with its store of tiles and tools, had nine guest rooms as well as a bar, plus a room reserved for two years - the period set aside for rebuilding the Town Hall - for meetings of the town council and burghers.
From an architectural point of view, the building drew much of its inspiration from traditional rural structures. Today it is used as a parish hall with meeting rooms. A large room for conferences and lotteries was added to the structure in 1968. In the covered area, the inscription 1805 can be distinguished on two beams, referring to the date of reconstruction of the building.

© Musée gruérien and Cultural Heritage Department of the canton of Fribourg