“Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald====================================================================
(in the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France) Troyes is located on the Seine river about 140 km (~87 mi.) southeast of Paris in the Champagne wine region, near the Orient Forest Regional Natural Park. (The town was the historical capital of Champagne.) Many half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) survive in the city's Old Town. The Hôtel de Ville, Place Alexandre Israël, is an urbane example of the style Louis XIII.
+ Not having suffered from the last wars, Troyes has a high density of old religious buildings grouped close to the city center. They include: Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral, Saint-Nizier Church, the Gothic (13th century) Saint-Urbain Basilica, and several others.
+ Before Julius Caesar’s conquest, Troyes was already a town of the Gauls. Under the Roman emperor Augustus, it became the capital of the Gallic tribe known as the Tricasses (hence its name). Converted to Christianity in the 3rd century, the town was threatened by the Huns in the 5th century and was defended against them by its bishop, St. Loup. Sacked by the Normans in 889, it soon came under the authority of the counts of Champagne, who founded a number of churches and almshouses there and established the great fairs which gained an international reputation and brought Troyes exceptional prosperity. The city also gave its name to the troy weight. The end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th were periods of prosperity, but in 1524 a fire destroyed 1,000 houses in Troyes. Calvinism had considerable success here, but in 1572 a great number of Protestants were put to death. Louis XIV’s revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 dispersed the town’s Protestant population and greatly damaged its industrial prosperity. It was only during the 19th century that Troyes began the development that has continued since.
+ In Troyes, the smallest, and most upstream, of the four cities traversed by the river Seine, you will find plenty to amaze and entertain you, while being astonished by the greatest number of colorful, medieval half-timbered houses in France – there are 3000 of them. Admire stained glass windows (the city boasts some of the most wonderful in the world) before wondering at the ingenuity of humankind in the lovely MOPO museum, which focuses on tools, trades and crafts over the centuries. Soak in some world-class modern art, and then shop in factory outlets. When your feet grow tired, you can taste some local Champagne -- Troyes is, after all, the capital of the Aube department, which produces a quarter of the region's famous bubbly beverage.
+ Enjoy wandering around the Old City, known as Le Bouchon (the cork) because it is shaped like a champagne cork lying on its side with the head, fashioned by the Seine, facing east.
(At the end of October you can catch the six-day Champagne Nights music festival.)
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