PROVINS - MEDIEVAL CITY
Central France's Best Preserved Walled Middle-Ages City
Medieval
Times still live in central France. With the most impressive rampart
moat walls
of any
city in Europe, Provins entices from miles
away, one of the best medieval cities to visit in France and nearer
to Paris than Carcassonne in the south. Sitting on the
crest of a hill this town with its Roman Tower and Cathedral
spire
rising like the spikes of a crown, Provins feels like a journey back
into time before you arrive. The city itself is a museum within
walls.
If you arrive
by car, signs take you to the city tourism center much like an amusement
park ticket office. Though admission into the city
itself
doesn’t
require a ticket, you can drive across the deep moat through the stone
arches into the narrow streets. But a visit to
some of the main historic sites does require a ticket. The moat surrounding
the city was apparently never filled with water, but from the look of
them you can see why that was probably unnecessary. With its more than
50 listed historic structures, Provins
has been designated a World Heritage site.
There
are four main tourist history sites in Provins. The Tithe Barn was
used for market days in the middle-ages
during the Fairs of Champagne,
traveling markets of merchants and vendors who moved from town to town
throughout Europe. Audio Guides take you through the story of medieval
life, craftsmen, wool makers and stonecutters as you explore the floors. Caesar’s Tower is the symbol of Provins, this
castle tower built in the 12th Century by the Counts of Champagne,
replacing the fortification
from earlier
times, with later improvements, is an impressive preserved
example of a medieval defensive keep. Frankenstein author, Mary Shelley, visited Provins on her journey across Europe in 1816 with percy Shlley and wrote of it in her Diary of a Six Weeks Tour (recreated in the Secret Memoirs of Mary Shelley).
Several changes were made during the English occupation of Provins during the Hundred Years War under Henry V. Climbing through several levels of tight stone stairs takes you through the chambers up to the battlements with a spectacular view of the town and valley beyond and overlooking the town and up to the bell tower where the framework for the 6 bells has remained in place since 1511. The Underground Galleries are vaulted chambers of Gothic arches below the Hotel Dieu and Hotel Saint-Thibault. The Museum of Provins housed in a Romanesque building from the 1100’s, contains collections of the history of Provins and surrounding regions from prehistoric times to the 19th Century.
Visiting Provins
Individual admission are about €3, but a Pass
Provins can be purchased at the tourist center for €9.20 Eur for
Adults, €6.10 for Children.
A Family Pass is available for 26 Euro. A Tourist Train will
carry you through the town with a recorded commentary of the history
and main monuments, or
take a Guided Walking Tour of this World Heritage site. The House
of Handcrafts (Place du Chatel) is a free
exhibit where medieval costumed artisans will demonstrate there crafts
and their products can
be purchased. Or just spend hours on marked sight-seeing walks.
For
a more lively view of feudal life in medieval times and family entertainment,
Provins is also the
site of live performance shows.
From the Spring to Fall costumed performers display the medieval arts
of Falconry, Chivalry and Sword Fights, Equestrian skills and demonstrations
of
medieval
siege
engines and war in four shows taking place below the great stone walls
of the city ramparts. The “Residence of the Knights Templar”, “Eagles
of the Ramparts”, “The Battle of the Ramparts” and “Legend
of the Knights” (Legende de Chevaliers) live performance
shows are given on a rotating schedule weekends and weekdays from March
to
November.
Prices
for the
performance shows are €10.50 for adults and €4.50 for children.
Compare that to what a ticket to Euro France Disneyland will set you
back.
Provins is located about an hour by car southeast of Paris in Seine-Marne valley on the N19 between Paris and Troyes off the A5 motorway or the D231 45 minutes from Disneyland Paris. Provins can be reached by train from Paris from the Gare de L’Est or other cities. © Bargain Travel Europe
Find hotel deals and read reviews in Champagne
Web Info
Provins Tourist Office
See Also:
CHATEAU LA MOTTE-TILLY - DANGEROUS LIASON
HENRY IV PAVILLON - NOGENT-SUR-SEINE
CHATEAU DES BAUX CASTLE RUINS IN PROVENCE
