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Troyes and timber are the best of friends!
Among all the cities in « France and Navarre » that have maintained a high quality timber based architecture, Troyes is probably the one with the most extensive, dense and homogenous heritage, that is still the most preserved or restored of all.
Once, this incredible collection of half-timbered houses built during the Middle Ages and Renaissance almost disappeared. But today, it is the pride of the city of Champagne.
The picturesque and colourful style of Troyes is also telling us the story of the metamorphosis of a city which still has many chapters left to write.

Les secrets de Troyes

Les secrets de Troyes

The film Les Secrets de Troyes (The Secrets of Troyes) provides a 14-minute overview of some of the key elements that have shaped our city’s history. Of course, it’s not possible to cram every aspect...

Troyes’greaters hours

Troyes’greaters hours

The region was populated by nomads during the lower Palaeolithic period, around 400,000 BC, and was settled around 5,000 BC. The first traces of permanent settlements date from the end of the 6th century AD....

Troyes stopped Attila

Troyes stopped Attila

 The Huns, few miles outside Troyes The Attila threat Attila the Hun and his hordes rampaged across Europe in the 5th century. In 451, the Huns were just a few miles outside Troyes, where they waged...

Troyes, the timber-framed city

Troyes, the timber-framed city

There are many cities in France and Navarre that still boast high-quality wooden buildings. Yet it is Troyes that arguably has the most extensive, uniform, and best preserved or restored heritage. Timber-framed houses Having almost disappeared...

The champagne cork…

The champagne cork…

The champagne cork When viewed from above, the old centre of Troyes is shaped almost exactly like a champagne cork. It is for this reason that locals refer to the old part of the city as...

The shameful treaty of Troyes

The shameful treaty of Troyes

An event that could have changed the course of history… On 21 May 1420, with the French royal family having taken refuge in Troyes, the city’s cathedral played host to a momentous event that could have changed...

Troyes, the home of the guilds

Troyes, the home of the guilds

Troyes, the home of the guilds The birth of guild The city of Troyes remains closely linked with the history of the Knights Templar, the Crusades and the French Guild of Travelling Craftsmen. The city is synonymous...

The water

The water

The role of water in Troyes over the years :  The marshy environs of Troyes provided the first settlers with the resources they needed for their provisional establishment. Augustobona Tricassium owes its existence to water. The...

The great names

The great names

Rachi and Saint Bernard, the pillars of the Middle Ages. Rachi and Saint Bernard, the pillars of the Middle Ages. Besides Chretien de Troyes, two great figures of Middle Ages remain undeniably related to the...

A gradual resurrection

A gradual resurrection

Troyes’ architectural heritage experienced something of a renaissance in the late 20th century, and the pace of work has quickened in the last 20 years. The process can be summarised through a handful of flagship...

Troyes, the epicentre of Anglo-French relations

Troyes, the epicentre of Anglo-French relations

On 21 May 1420, with the French royal family having taken refuge in Troyes, the city’s cathedral played host to a momentous event that could have changed the course of history and the world. For...

Martyrs and monuments

Martyrs and monuments

Terror spread like wildfire in August 1944. 22 August: 49 prisoners, mostly members of the Resistance, were taken from their cells in the Troyes prison and killed with no trial at the Creney-près-Troyes shooting range....

A lost canal

A lost canal

A phantom has come back to haunt the present in the Aube department: the Canal de la Haute Seine had a transient and incomplete career, but scattered small pebbles on the path of its existence...