Troyes

Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa which led north to Reims and south Langres and eventually to Milan; other routes led to Poitiers, Autun and Orléans. It was the civitas of the Tricasses, who had been separated by Augustus from the Senones. Of the Gallo-Roman city of the Early Empire, some scattered remains have been found, but no public monuments, other than traces of an aqueduct. By the Late Empire the settlement was reduced in extent, and referred to as Tricassium or Tricassae, the origin of French Troyes ("three").

The city was the seat of a bishop from the fourth century — the legend of its bishop Saint Loup ('Lupus of Troyes'; d. at Troyes, 479 CE), who saved the city from Attila by offering himself as hostage is hagiographic rather than historical — though it was several centuries before it gained importance as a medieval centre of commerce.

In the early cathedral Louis the Stammerer in 878 received at Troyes the imperial crown from the hands of Pope John VIII. At the end of the ninth century, following depredations to the city by Normans, the counts of Champagne chose Troyes as their capital; it remained the capital of the Province of Champagne until the Revolution. The Abbey of Saint-Loup developed a renowned library and scriptorium. The Champagne cloth fairs and the revival of long-distance trade and new extension of coinage and credit were the real engine that drove the medieval economy of Troyes.

In 1285, when Philip the Fair united Champagne to the royal domain, the town kept a number of privileges. John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and ally of the English, aimed in 1417 at making Troyes the capital of France, and he came to an understanding with Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of Charles VI of France, that a court, council, and parliament with comptroller's offices should be established at Troyes. It was at Troyes, then in the hands of the Burgundians, that on 21 May, 1420, the treaty was signed by which Henry V of England was betrothed to Catherine, daughter of Charles VI, and was to succeed him to the detriment of the dauphin. The dauphin, afterwards Charles VII, and Joan of Arc recovered the town of Troyes in 1429.

The 1420 Treaty of Troyes, which attempted to settle the Hundred Years' War, was signed here. During the Middle Ages, it was an important trading town, and gave its name to troy weight. The great fire of 1524 destroyed much of the medieval city, in spite of the city's numerous canals.

Troyes is home to the Lacoste company production headquarters, one of the most popular brands in the Western World.

Hôtel de Ville, Troyes

Hôtel de Ville, Troyes

The Hôtel de Ville, Place Alexandre Israël, is an urbane example of the style Louis XIII. On the central corps de logis which contains the main reception rooms, its cornice is rhythmically broken forward over paired Corinthian columns which are supported below by strong clustered pilasters. Above the entrance door the statue of Louis XIV was pulled out of its niche and smashed in 1793, during the Reign of Terror at the height of the French Revolution; it was replaced in the nineteenth century with the present Helmeted Minerva and the device in its original form, now rare to see "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, ou la Mort" In the Salle du Conseil (Council Chamber]] a marble medallion of Louis XIV (1690) by François Girardon, born at Troyes, survived unscathed.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Troyes is the home of association football club Troyes AC, or ESTAC. ESTAC operated in the highest division of French football, the Ligue 1 during the 2006-2007 season but were relegated to Ligue 2.

The city center of Troyes is arranged in the shape of a champagne cork.

Troyes is also the home of the world-champion chocolate maker, Pascal Caffet. His creations have won a series of awards, which can be found on his website.Unfortunately, this website is currently only in French.