Travel Guide Trévoux

Trévoux, capital of the ancient principality of Dombes from the 16th to the 18th century, has preserved some memorable traces of its opulent past: a fortified castle, an apothecary, the parliament of Dombes and old alleys lovingly maintained by local enthusiasts. Here, everything recalls a sovereignty granted by the good king François I to this prosperous and enlightened city. It was a small independent state, minting gold and silver coins, enacting laws, creating offices, levying taxes and deciding on peace or war. This principality of Dombes was attached to the kingdom of France in 1762. To find out more, the town hall houses the museum-library, including the collection of 635 volumes of the Journal de Trévoux, one of the very first French periodicals, published by the Jesuits around 1721, as well as the famous Dictionnaire de Trévoux published in 1702, which is still a reference work for many academics. Trévoux has been awarded the label Plus beau détour de France, Station Verte, Ville fleurie and Pays d'art et d'histoire. The city's parks are of particular botanical interest since they are the work of François Treyve, a 19th century landscape architect from Trévoux. And to reach Trévoux by bike from Lyon, take the Voie Bleue along the banks of the Saône.