Meuse Property Insight
Meuse in one of the four departments of the Lorraine region, the other ones being Meuthe et Moselle, Moselle, and Vosges. The department is located in the north eastern part of France, and has borders with Belgium and Champagne Ardenne. The department gathers around 193,000 inhabitants and its administrative centre is Bar le Duc.
Overview
Meuse is worldwide renowned as it was the stage of one of the bloodiest battle during WWI, the Verdun battle. However, landscapes and towns are not any longer as pictured in History book. After the war, towns, especially Verdun, were rebuilt according to ‘New Art’ architectural style, and they managed to take advantage of the beauty of countryside and the historical heritage of towns to move on, while remembering this sad period of History, thanks to memorial and museums.
The department was named after the Meuse River that runs though the area, however, there are many other rivers that make the department such a pleasant and lovely area to walk and live in.
Meuse will charm you if you are a history lover (the Verdun treaty which separated France and Germany during Charles the Magna reign), an art lover (it was home of the ‘New Art’ movement in France, or a nature lover.
Meuse Immobilier & Property Market Trends
| Property prices in Meuse in April 2009 |
| Location | Apartments € / sq m | Houses € |
| Bar le Duc area | 1,010 | 110,500 |
| Verdun areal | 1,220 | 113,800 |
| Meuse | 1,120 | 110,300 |
Since national average for house prices is around €3,200/ sq m, Meuse, with €1,090/sq m, can be considered as a fairly affordable area. Some areas in the department are more expensive, as for instance Verdun (€1,598 /sq m), as they are dynamic areas which keep on attracting people and which are starting to recover from the real estate crisis. And other parts have even lower house prices, above all towns and villages in the countryside, especially in the northern part of the department.
As far as rentals are concerned, once again, average prices in the department (€10.40 /sq m) are lower than the national average (€12.20 /sq m). As 30% of residents are tenants, the department offers reasonable rental opportunities.
To get updated info about property prices in Meuse, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.
Click here to have an overview of Lorraine Property Prices.
5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Meuse
Tourism: tourism in Meuse is mainly based on two assets: green tourism, thanks to the beautiful landscapes, forests, rivers and hills, and cultural and historical heritage due to the WWI heritage and memorials in Verdun and Douaumont.
Good food: Meuse has the same asset as the entire Lorraine region, this is to say: Quiche Lorraine and potatoes and bacon dishes. However there are also many specialities that come from Meuse, such as the Dragée (sugared almond), the Madeleine that comes from Commercy, and the mirabelles are grown and transformed into jam or pie in the whole department.
Tranquillity and scenery: green areas and beautiful landscapes are one of the main assets of the department. After WWI the region was almost entirely destroyed but it was then totally rebuild and is now under protection. The Argonne forest is equipped with all needed infrastructures for you to go hiking and camping. If you like lakes and water resort, then you will prefer Woevre natural area with its beautiful lakes, ponds, rivers, etc.
Architectural style: owing to its location, in the middle of Europe, Lorraine and Meuse display an original architectural style. Between other monuments you should not miss the Avioth basilica and its unique in the world Recevresse, the Commercy castle, from a 18th century architectural style, the Bar le Duc Renaissance quarter, and the Marville Spanish Renaissance appearance.
Environmental friendly: the department has planned a new policy as regards new energy. It is based on three main points: wind turbines, 116 of them were already built in 2006, and there are 28 more to come; biofuel made with colza, and should account for 6% of the French market; and finally the wood energy.
Local Property Market: 2 Popular Towns
- Bar le Duc property: the administrative centre of the department is also the most beautiful town of the whole Lorraine region. It is the only one which boasts the Art and History Town label and is also considered as one of the 100 most beautiful towns in France.
- Verdun property: renowned for the bloodiest WWI battle, Verdun is nowadays a lovely and charming town which was renovated and totally recovered from its wars injures. Even if no one can forget the sad period, the town stands in a beautiful natural environment and has nothing to do with the description pictured in History books.
Property Styles and Architecture in Meuse
Woëvre farmhouses: farmhouses in Meuse have basically the same features as the Lorrain houses, only with small differences. They have 3 main rooms in the central part of the dwelling. The entrance door is right in the middle on the house and gives way into the kitchen. The roof is gently sloping and made of concave tiles. These houses are usually larger than deeper and they come with few outbuildings.
Half timbered houses this type of properties is particularly adapted to the location. The locals have influenced this style a bit, thus half-timbering properties in the area have strong German influence. Roof tiles are generally brown or red and flat, while walls are filled using cob. The wooden structure faces the street, and walls are usually painted, in purple for instance.
Click here for more info about the Architecture in Lorraine.
| Take a closer look at the Meuse property market: | |
| Bar le Duc Property Information | Verdun Property Information |