Things to see and do Lorraine

The museum gathers a collection of 110,000 images and woods from French and foreign picture centers. The permanent exhibition room retraces the history of popular imagery from the 17th century to the present day: religious images, propaganda images, advertisements... The museum has a modern scenography and many works of contemporary art. Each year, temporary exhibitions explore these themes in greater depth. The museum recently proposed an exhibition entitled "At the origins of the comic strip: the popular image".

In the heart of Strasbourg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Petite France is the most picturesque district of the old town. It is a condensed version of Alsace with its half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, with its canals and narrow streets. It is one of the oldest districts of Strasbourg, built along the river Ill, which is omnipresent, and which is sometimes compared to a small Venice. Where the district takes shape, the river forms an astonishing delta composed of five arms. Seen from the sky, they look strangely like the fingers of a hand trying to grasp the whole city. Both peaceful and impetuous, the Ill river irrigates the district with all its charm. Let yourself go for a walk on its quays, and admire the reflections of the coloured facades of the old houses.

Fishermen, millers and tanners used to live and work in this district: the names of the streets bear witness to this, while the houses have kept the sloping roofs with their staircases which housed the granaries where the skins were dried. Stop in front of the beautiful Tanneurs building dating from 1572, which was transformed into a restaurant in 1949. Petite France owes its name to the "French disease", in other words "smallpox" or "syphilis" that the soldiers of François I came to treat in the local hospital in the 16th century.

Continue your visit to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: from its panoramic terrace, you will have an exceptional view of the covered bridges and three high, austere and massive watchtowers, vestiges of the medieval wall, and the Vauban dam built in 1690. The latter reinforces the defensive curtain of the city, which was completely surrounded at the time. It has thirteen arches. For the record, the dam, with all valves closed, prevented the Ill from following its course, thus flooding all the land south of Strasbourg. Enemy armies would get bogged down in it.

At the end of the rue du Bain-aux-Plantes, you will discover the Pont du Faisan, also known locally as the "Pont Tournant". Small and discreet, this pedestrian bridge dictates its will to all passers-by. You may have to wait to cross it, as it will have swung around to allow a boat to cross. A unique attraction. The Saint-Martin bridge, a stone bridge with two arches and a single pier, is nearby. From there, don't miss the view of the mills, dams and locks, but also of a picturesque little terrace on the water.

Leave the gondolas in Venice. The sparkling Venice is here! Cast off and let your pilot guide you on the meandering canals that cross the city. You will discover all the secrets and richness of the Chalonnais heritage through the anecdotes that will enliven your journey. In a green setting, the architecture of the city is revealed: the Market castle, the Sainte-Marie convent, the Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church... without forgetting the highlight of the show which awaits you in the gallery of the rue Lochet.

The Halles area: He was (with Saint-Jean neighbourhood) the commercial heart of the city. In the th century, the rich bourgeois emigrated from the district of the Cité to that of the Halles, taking with them commercial and cultural activity. A walk in this area will allow you to admire the beauty of the wooden houses, but also the picturesque Halles, and a few ensembles style ensembles.

The Theatres District: a rather cultural area, as its name indicates. Before it burned in 1892, the old wooden circus was installed there and the Mars fairs animated this neighborhood for a long time. The Theatre of Champagne (Quais), formerly known as the circus of Troyes, was built on its location in 1978. You can also discover the elegant architecture of the theatre of Madeleine (side of the railway station). In front of this theatre, the Trône fountain, water and light shed. On Gambetta Boulevard, the th-century villas are famous for grandeur, including the fantaisiste villa Viardot near the Caisse d'epargne.

The Arts Neighbourhood: this "high" neighbourhood attracted the richest people, the elite in a way. So this opulence is felt in the architecture of buildings, often richly decorated. The clerical power is manifested through the many religious buildings, the Vauluisant Abbey, for example. The Trinity Hospital (nowadays, the Hotel de Mauroy) was converted into knitted manufacture. It is essential because this activity will give a considerable boost to the city. See rue de Turenne, rue de la Trinité, and rue du Général-Saussier.

Canal Quarter: water was a vital element, whether it be for the inhabitants or to protect the city from fires (since all buildings were in wood) or to feed energy plants. Troyes owned some 70 public wells, but some remained. Drinking water was derived from the Moline Canal. From the early th century, it was decided that he would cross the city. Even today, the beautiful city preserved its canal. He even found ground recently, in the extension of the Dampierre Wharf, with his lover's bridge, his metal heart…

The Quartier des Expositions de Champagne: the main area, since it was in this part of the city that the legendary Champagne fairs were held, as well as the fairs of Brie. For several weeks, traders and traders came from the whole of Europe at this regional crossroads, to sell wool, silk, jewelry, leather, wine, but also to fix the price of currency. All of this world posed its "suitcases" around Saint John's church. You can imagine all this little world in the streets of the area. Notably Zola Street, which is still looking to trade. These fairs have definitively confirmed the power and wealth of Troyes. However, let us look at history a little: although Champagne was geographically well placed, the counts of Champagne influenced the reputation of the fairs.