Wednesday 1 July 2015

The historic town of Troyes - part two.

We're in the pedestrianised rue Paillot de Montabert here, with our hotel, the Relais Saint Jean on the left. A great place to stay and the friendly and helpful managers speak English! The car parking is brilliant; you drive down a ramp into a basement in a nearby street, park the car, take your bags down a passage to a lift, which magically pops up in the hotel reception! Very convenient, as there aren't many places to street park in the old town area.

This is the house diagonally opposite the baker's house shown further down. It belonged to a silversmith, Francois Roize, who built it between 1578 and 1618, incorporating this turret to accommodate the staircase. Space was always at a premium (see last picture too) and ingenious ways were found to make the best of what there was available.

This shows the support to the circular turret above; the figures are two caryatids and a Telamon, so I'm told!

View from the hotel bedroom window.

This building is known as "the baker's house" after its first owner. Note the silversmith's turret at right. The pulley at the top of the house, used to pull flour bags up to the loft, can still be seen. This house was the first in the area to be renovated, in 1964, after a long battle to prevent it being demolished! The facade is typical of building styles in the town in the 16th century. The building now houses  the cultural centre. Why is there a commando hanging from his parachute? Well, when were in town, there was an exhibition illustrating the liberation of the town by Allied forces from the Nazis in 1945.

The central fruit and vegetable display in Les Halles, the food market in an enclosed building near the town hall. This was taken near the end of the day, so there isn't a lot going on!

Different styles in a row, but all beautifully restored.

Restaurants, of which there are plenty in and around the old town. This is rue Champeaux, around the corner from the hotel.

Police station - it had to be, with those bars on the windows!! And that's a seriously big pot!

One of three museums in town, this is Musee Saint Loup, named after the bishop of Troyes, who saved the town from Attila the Hun and his hordes in the year 451 and lived apparently to the age of 95! It house exhibitions of fine art (including sculptures by Girardon, sculptor to Louis XIV), archaeology (including a gallo-roman bronze statue of Apollo) and natural history.


Cellier Saint Pierre, just across a square from the cathedral - this is a beautiful wine shop, which was unfortunately closed when we were there!

Troyes is famous for its sculptures. This bronze lady, if I remember rightly, overlooks the Bassin de la Prefecture, a dinky little waterway almost bisecting the centre of modern town. The bassin, or canal one might say in this case, seems to have been created by diverting water into a man-made loop off the river Seine (yes, the same river which passes through Paris, 180 km or 110 miles to the WNW), which flows around the east end of Troyes. Very imaginative and a memorable design feature!

Leaning houses propped apart! The upper floors of houses in the Middle Ages were often built out over the street to provide that extra little bit of living space. Foundations were often absent or, at their best, still inadequate to support the building load.Thus, settlement of these dwellings over hundreds of years has meant that the town council has had to resort  to extreme measures to preserve them. The ancient buildings around here are all being restored and converted into living accommodation by the council.

There's a part three to come, with photos of more delights, including the cathedral.
My thanks to Nigel for all his research and help.



See also my daily Photo Diary Here
My Life Before Charente  - 'My Mum buys a racehorse' - New post 10/06/2015






56 comments:

  1. What a beautiful old village . . . I love how so much is preserved.
    Great pics.

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    1. Rick it is a beautiful place and I am so glad that restoration is on going. Thanks for the comment Diane

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  2. Diane, great photos, again! It's a good thing the baker's house was not demolished; interesting with the pulley and the commando also. The architecture is all amazing, so many different styles and all restored perfectly. I bet the markets in Les Halles are a sight to see. And the bronze lady looks quite at home there, striking pose with a nice hat. Thanks for the tour, I really enjoyed it! Take care

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    1. Thanks Pam glad you enjoyed the tour, it is just like going back in time. All it needs is for the people to change their dress! It is an amazing place. Hope you are well Diane

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  3. These were superb photos...really bringing the place to life.

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    1. Thanks Fly it is an amazing place. Hope you are both well Diane

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  4. I have really enjoyed being introduced to this town which is new to me. The timbered buildings are magnificent!

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    1. Craig if you should ever come this way again this a a place well worth stopping off at. It is like walking the streets in historic times. Have a good evening Diane

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  5. wow...what a place. i would love to visit there if i ever decide to travel again. i have been on a very long staycation! i think i traveled myself out. thanks for all of the wonderful photos.

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    1. Jaz I am sure you would love it if you do travel again. It s such fun to walk around here and so much to see. Tale care Diane

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  6. Oh my! What delightful photos...simply wonderful!! Have a grand day1

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    1. Thanks Cathy, it is a magical town to walk around and very special. Have a good day Diane

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  7. What a gorgeous village! I could see myself living there and enjoying every minute of it. Thank you so much for sharing this tour!

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    1. A beautiful place to live Linda, a beautiful town. It is a pleasure to share Diane

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  8. Fantastic old village, so much great history.

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    1. Good to hear from you Horst and glad you enjoyed this post. Hope you are well and knees all in working order now, Diane

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  9. Hi Diane - as I mentioned in your first post (well hope I did!) .. what an incredible place ... and I love the way the hotel have adapted to get their guests 'aboard' as such ... my mother and I had a similar experience on the old Coach Road along the Elbe on the outskirts of Hamburg ...

    I love the photos and all the research ... and once I get to France - Troyes will be on my list ... it is as Pam mentions amazing to see history through the eras ... thanks to you both for the research and pics ... cheers Hilary

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    1. If we pass that way again Troyes will certainly get a second visit from us, it is beautiful. Hope you are well and good to hear from you Diane

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  10. Hi Diane. I do love Troyes and hope to revisit one day. Thanks for the great pics!

    Denise:-)

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    1. Denise you obviously enjoyed it as much as we did, I hope you get to revisit one day, Thanks for the comment Diane

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  11. I enjoyed visiting Troyes with you, and am impressed that so much has been saved. Lovely place, and thanks for sharing.

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    1. Vera it is an amazing place, history around every corner. Keep well Diane

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  12. Always you have the most beautiful pictures!
    I love these are absolutely nice:)
    Have a nice day and enjoy your time!

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    1. Thanks Gloria, it is good that it has been restored so well and work is ongoing. Have a great day Diane

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  13. It would be a shame not to be able to photograph and see this amazing old architecture. So glad it is being preserved and renovated.

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    1. Gaelyn it seems that if you take photos and make money from them then you will be stopped, but from the blog point of view it should be OK. I have removed the comment from the post in hopes. This is a stunning town. Have a good day Diane

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  14. This looks like a place that is very rich in history, thanks for sharing!

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    1. You are right Rose, history around every corner :-) Have a good day Diane.

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  15. Très belle région. Je t'accompagne avec plaisir.
    A bientôt

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    1. Merci pour votre commentaire Nadji. Bonne journée. Diane

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  16. What a magical place and your photos capture it beautifully! Too bad the wine shop was closed but other than that looks like a pretty fabulous visit. I always love visiting the markets in all the different regions **sigh** Looking forward to your next installment ~ Cheers:)

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    1. It is a magical place and if only the dress code was put back a number of years you would think you have been travelling with Dr Who!! Keep well Diane

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  17. Wow. You don't see buildings like this very often in France. I had to look it up on a map to see which part of France Troyes is in. Since we travel in the south, we're more likely to see Roman ruins. Thanks for all the history too. Very interesting.

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    1. Thanks Paulita for your visit and comment much appreciated. We also have Roman Ruins around us, but we have seen several older towns as well to the South, Glad you enjoyed the post Diane

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  18. Merci Diane de votre visite!
    Bravo pour la présentation de Troyes, vous êtes une excellente guide pour visiter cette belle ville!
    Bonne semaine à vous!

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    1. Merci Lucie, il était une belle ville à visiter. J'espère que tu vas bien. Diane

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  19. your pictures do justice to this place
    beautiful !
    greetings from brussels
    anni

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    1. Thanks Anni, I wish we had of had a longer visit to see more, but there are other times I hope. Keep well Diane

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  20. Thanks for sharing your pictures from your visit to Troyes. I knew nothing about Troyes before your post It seems exactly like the type of place I like to wander about and shoot photos. Have a great day.

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    1. It is an amazing town Michel, change the dress code and you would think you were well back in history. If you are ever that way I highly recommend a visit. Hope you are both well Diane

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  21. Stunning buildings steeped in history, thanks for sharing them x

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    1. Just replied to this and it has vanished!! Worth a stop over if you are ever in that direction, it is a beautiful place Diane xx

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  22. Wonderfull old houses architectuur,it is a wonderfull city, greeting from Belgium.in Mons

    http://louisette.eklablog.com

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    1. Thanks retriever,it is an amazing place and we would love to spend more time there. Have a good day Diane

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  23. What amazing buildings!!! It is so good that they have been kept and restored. Your hotel sounds great.

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    1. Diane it is wonderful that they are restoring so much and once done hopefully work will continue, I am sure it will. We loved the hotel :) Take care t'other Diane

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  24. Oh goodness, I just must visit there one day. What a magnificent place. I love all the off-kilter buildings. No right angles anywhere and such artful weathering. Great tour, Diane!

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    1. Deana if ever in this direction this town is a must, it is quite amazing. We could have had longer there than we did but we tried to squeeze a lot in :) Hope all is well Diane

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  25. What a terrific town! I love the exposed timbers on all of the buildings. But I for one would not be able to walk between the leaning houses; my claustrophobia would prevent that! Looking forward to part 3 of your visit, too.

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    1. Marjie walking there did not worry me, but put me in the tunnel under the channel and I freeze! Must get on with part 3, time flies when you are having fun!! Hope all is well Diane

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  26. I was sure I'd already left a comment on this post, Diane, as I've certainly read it and enjoyed it before now. Maybe I forgot to press the 'Publish' button - it wouldn't be the first time.

    I just love the way you manage to capture the essence and charm of these wonderful places with your beautifully observed and executed photography. As I've mentioned before your posts just make me want to return to France. Maybe one day I will.

    Have a great weekend - - - - Richard

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    1. Richard I have had several post disappear so......... Thanks for your kind comments, if you return you can help me track down our Little Owl and where it is nesting :) Have a great week Diane

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    2. If I'm ever in your neck of the woods, I'll be sure to look you up and, hopefully, we'll find your Little Owl!

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    3. It would be a pleasure to have you to stay D.

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  27. Great buildings!
    And the artistic statue of the Lady is also beautiful!

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    1. Thanks Gunn the lady is stunning and the tow in all is beautiful. Have a good day Diane.

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