Tourist information on Troyes, France

With its abundance of historic art and architecture, Troyes certainly merits its status as a city of art and history. Situated in the northeast of France, in the Seine Valley about 150 km southeast of Paris, it is the capital of the Aube department and the second most populated city in the Champagne-Ardenne region after Reims. Founded way back in Gallo-Roman times, Troyes became immensely wealthy in the Middle Ages through its great fairs and then prospered for several centuries through its hosiery industry. It derives its name from its earliest inhabitants, a Gallic tribe known as the Tricasses.

In 484, the Frankish king Clovis conquered Troyes and the surrounding area, which came to be known as Champagne (after its vast chalk plains). The city was attacked several times in the 8th and 9th centuries, by the Spanish Saracens and the Normans. It was at Troyes that Louis II received the imperial crown from Pope John VIII. Between the 10th and 12th centuries, the county of Troyes was joined with several of its neighbours to form the duchy of Champagne, with Troyes its capital. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Troyes grew immensely wealthy through its fairs, which attracted merchants from all over Europe. In 1283, Champagne was allied to the kingdom of France through the marriage of Joan I of Navarre to the future Philip IV. During the 100 Years War, the Paris Parlement took up temporary residence in Troyes, and it was here, in 1420, that the Treaty of Troyes was drafted, acknowledging the English King Henry V as the legitimate heir to the throne of France following his marriage to Catherine de Valois. In 1524, the city was ravaged by a great fire which destroyed much of its historic architecture. In the 16th century Troyes became a major manufacturer of hosiery, and this would remain one of its chief industries right up until the middle of the 20th century. In the 1960s, Troyes' hosiery industry struggled to compete with cheaper imports from the Far East, but today textiles manufacturing continues to be one of the city's main breadwinners.

Although much of the medieval city was destroyed in the fire of 1524, there are still many old streets with half-timbered houses which evoke the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Some notable examples of Renaissance architecture include the Hôtel de Marisy and the Hôtel du Lion Noir, which date from the 16th century. The fact that Troyes was pretty well unscathed by the two world wars of the 20th century means that it has retained a large and fine collection of sacred buildings. Its Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul is particularly impressive, a huge Gothic cathedral that dates back to the 13th century but which has been partially rebuilt over the centuries after being assailed by various natural disasters. Like many French churches, it was ransacked during the Revolution and its gold treasures melted down. The cathedral is noted for its ornate façade and highly detailed stained glass windows.

Other churches that merit a visit are: the Basilique Saint-Urbain, a 13th century Gothic church with glazed roof tiles; l'Église Saint-Nizier, a 16th century Gothic church renowned for the quality of its stained glass windows and sculptures depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary and Saint-Sépulcre; l'Église Sainte-Madeleine, the oldest surviving church in the city (dating from the 13th century), distinguished by its stained glass window of the Creation; and l'Église Saint-Jean-du-Marché, a 13th century Gothic church, rebuilt in the 16th century, in which Henry V married Catherine de Valois, daughter of Charles VI. Another of Troyes's prime historical monuments is its 17th century Hôtel de ville (City Hall), one of the few buildings in France to have retained above its entrance the slogan of the French Revolution in its original form: Liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort.

Troyes has many museums which are dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the city's rich cultural heritage. Situated in the St-Loup Abbey, the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie displays a large collection comprising paintings, sculptures, objets d'art and archaeological artefacts, with work by such diverse artists as Watteau, Boucher, David and Géricault. This is complemented by the Musée d'art moderne de Troyes, which is housed in the former Bishop's Palace of the 16th-17th centuries. St-Loup Abbey also accommodates a respectable natural history museum. Other interesting museums include: la Maison de l'outil et de la pensée ouvrière, which offers a mind-boggling collection of craftsmen's tools; le Musée de Vauluisant, dedicated to Troyes's association with the hosiery business; and le Musée Di Marco, which is devoted to the artwork of the Angelo Di Marco, who specialised in illustrating news stories in the French press.

Troyes's train station, Gare de Troyes, provides frequent connections to Paris, Dijon, Reims, Mulhouse and also services to other towns in the Champagne region.