Troyes in Champagne

We parked the car on the edge of town, and set off towards the centre, hoping that it wouldn't be too difficult to find the medieval quarter with its famous half-timbered houses. Troyes boasts more of them than any other town in France, including any town in Alsace, and that's saying something. "So where are they?", we asked ourselves, as we crossed the road and took the first alley that might lead us to the heart of the city.

It would have been more appropriate to ask where they weren't! We were met with an almost Disneyesque explosion of medieval architecture of the wood, wattle and daub kind, streets full of it. More is being uncovered: among the photographs below are some showing work in progress. The grandeur of the cathedral and other ecclesiastical architecture means that Troyes never resembles a theme park, but the concentration of oldy-worldy dwellings does at times seem unreal.

We had already passed by Troyes many times travelling from Boulogne-sur-mer to Montbéliard. The town is in the Champagne region of France, 125 kms (75 miles) south of Reims, 185 kms (112 miles) north-west of Dijon and just under that distance south-west of Paris. I don't know how many times we had said, "We must stop there one day." We would now say that it is a must for Brits travelling south from Boulogne, Dover, Dunkirk or Zeebrugge.

If that's you, try to plan your trip to take in an overnight stay and a do bit of sight-seeing here. If a trip to Europe is not on your agenda, then at least enjoy this virtual visit to the capital of the Aube department in the Champagne region of France.

The two pictures above (both cropped to bring out the contrast) show a balance between preservation and imagination.

The wonderful glass window next to the police station is ancient and modern in itself, with the reference to the classic architecture of the city captured in a contemporary medium. Glass is not, of course, a modern material, but the encapsulation of photographic images is a recent technique which evokes the much older art of stained glass.

I didn't discover the function of the modern shutters on the new building. They look fixed in position, but there may be a slide and tilt mechanism.

The town was extensively damaged by fire in the 16th century, which means that most of the buildings we see today were built in the middle 1500s. To reduce the risk of a repeat disaster, dwellings were covered in a rather unattractive, monochrome rendering. It is only relatively recently that modern fire-prevention treatments have allowed the town to show off its colourful architectural heritage.

Another curiosity involves the classification of these timber-framed houses. French has the following two words for personal possessions: mobilier and immobilier. The first refers to what can be moved, meaning principally furniture; the second refers to property, which cannot normally be moved. It appears, however, that at one time timber-framed dwellings were considered as mobilier, presumably because the woodwork could be dismantled, loaded onto a cart and transported to a new location. I have not checked this in any reliable source, so please don't quote me.

No, there is no Irish link! The tourist literature delights in saying how the town plan looks very much like a champagne cork, with the head shaped by the River Seine. There is a similar point of interest in Bonifacio, Corsica: in the right conditions, the boat trip from the spectacular harbour takes you along the coast and into a cave where the hole in the roof has the same outline as the Île de beauté itself, as the island is known in French.

Troyes does not really need this coincidental boost to its tourist economy, but no doubt it sells a few extra postcards. Most visitors are wisely more interested in the bubbly contents of the bottle than in an accidental cartographical resemblance to the stopper. 

Just when you think you must have exhausted the wealth of quaint and curious sights, you turn a corner, and there is not one ancient building, but a street full of them! The pictures immediately above and below illustrate just how rich Troyes is in architectural delights. What is also satisfying is the flexibility allowed in cases where the dilapidation and decay require a rebuild rather than a restoration. There are courageous contrasts as well as beautiful blending.

The sometimes garish shop signs can seem out of keeping with this French gem of a town, but at least they are signs of economic and cultural life.  Troyes is, after all, a town, not a themed shopping mall, the mention of which reminds me that there is just such a thing on the outskirts of the city. Organised coach trips come from miles around, and I suspect that most of the visitors completely miss the charms of the centre ville.

We'll keep the history to a minimum, but it is always interesting to know something about the places you visit.

Troyes was the 10th century capital of the county of the same name before becoming the capital of Champagne two hundred years later. Long before the age of mass tourism, it owed its prosperity to textiles, particularly to millinery, the mechanical and, later still, electrical industry. Between the 12th and 14th century it became rich through its popular country fairs.

Brits will be interested to know that Troyes was where, in 1420, the mad Charles VI was persuaded by Isabeau of Bavaria to bequeath his kingdom to Henry V of England. 

Troyes boasts several museums, including the Maison de l'outil et de la pensée ouvrière (literally the House of tools and working class thought) and the Musée des beaux arts (fine arts). The gothic cathedral of St-Pierre-et-St-Paul dates from the 13th century, and the Town Hall from the 17th.

I've just seen a face … had it been another day … falling, yes I'm falling, and she keeps calling me back again.

Yes, it's that early Beatles number. Looking at the lyrics today you might think they need recrafting, but they evoke both the longing to meet, and the joy of finding the elusive Miss Right.

Had it been another day I might have looked the other way …

That's what's going through my head as I follow that mystery woman through Troyes. Could this, at last, be it!

I'm sure I've seen her before, but I can't for the life of me remember where. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking. I can't bear the thought of the chase ending in disappointment. Even if I catch up with her, what will I say?

I don't know you, but I want you?

No, not the Beatles this time, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in the film Once. Sadly, their romantic relationship did not last, but their voices blend wonderfully. I dare you to listen and not buy!

I know that if I can find her again, I won't need to look any further!

Well, it was a story, though happily not too far removed from reality: just another time, another place.

Serendipity again! We unwittingly chose to visit Troyes the day the London to Jerusalem rally stopped by and so were treated to some lovely automobile architecture. You can have fun identifying the models, but this is where we end our tour of this remarkable Champagne town, apart from a walk around the square to admire the wheels!