Troyes

Troyes (French pronunciation: [tʁwa] ) is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about 140 km (87 mi) south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near the Orient Forest Regional Natural Park.
Troyes had a population of 61,996 inhabitants in 2018. It is the center of the Communauté d'agglomération Troyes Champagne Métropole, which was home to 170,145 inhabitants.
Troyes developed as early as the Roman era, when it was known as Augustobona Tricassium. It stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa. The city has a rich historical past, from the Tricasses tribe to the liberation of the city on 25 August 1944 during the Second World War, including the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, the Council of Troyes, the marriage of Henry V and Catherine of France, and the Champagne fairs to which merchants came from all over Christendom. The city has a rich architectural and urban heritage: many buildings are protected as historical monuments, including the half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) that survived in the old town. They have contributed to Troyes being designated as a City of Art and History.
Manufacturing of textiles, developed from the 18th century onwards, was a chief part of Troyes' economy until the 1960s. Today, Troyes is the European capital of factory outlets and trading, and has three brand centers.
Prehistoric evidence found in the Troyes area suggests that the settlement may have developed as early as 600 BC. Celtic grave-mounds have been found near the city, and Celtic artifacts have been excavated within the city grounds.
In the Roman era, Troyes was known as Augustobona Tricassium. Numerous highways intersected here, primarily the Via Agrippa, which led north to Reims and south to Langres, and eventually to Milan. Other Roman routes from Troyes led to Poitiers, Autun and Orléans.
It was the civitas of the Tricasses people, whom Augustus separated from the Senones. Of the Gallo-Roman city of the early Roman Empire, some scattered remains have been found, but no public monuments, other than traces of an aqueduct. By the late Empire the settlement had reduced in extent. It was referred to as Tricassium or Tricassae, the origin of French Troyes.
From the fourth century AD, the people had become Christian and the Church made the city the seat of a bishop. The legend of its bishop Lupus (Loup), who allegedly saved the city from Attila in 451 by offering himself as hostage, is hagiographic rather than historical. A disciple of Saint Lupus, Aventinus (Saint Aventin of Troyes, died 537) founded a monastery at Troyes. It was several centuries before Troyes gained importance as a medieval centre of commerce.
The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, also called the Battle of Troyes, took place nearby in 451 AD: the Roman general Flavius Aetius and the Visigothic king Theodoric I fought against Attila.
The early cathedral occupied the site of the current one. Here Louis the Stammerer in 878 received the crown of West Francia from Pope John VIII. At the end of the ninth century, following depredations of 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 of the late eighteenth century. The Abbey of Saint-Loup developed a renowned library and scriptorium.
During the Middle Ages, Troyes functioned as an important international trading town. It was the namesake of troy weight for gold - a standard of measurement developed here. The Champagne cloth fairs and the revival of long-distance trade, together with new extension of coinage and credit, were the drivers of the medieval economy of Troyes.
In 1040, Shlomo Yitzchaki, better known as Rashi, was born in Troyes. The rabbi and philosopher, a prominent commentator on the Bible and the Talmud, established an influential school of Jewish thought in the city.
In 1285, when King Philip the Fair united Champagne to the French royal domain, the town kept a number of its traditional privileges. John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and ally of the English during the Hundred Years War, in 1417 worked to have Troyes designated as the capital of France. He came to an understanding with Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of King Charles VI of France, for the establishment at Troyes of a court, council, and parlement with comptroller's offices.
On 21 May 1420, the Treaty of Troyes was signed in this city, still under control of the Burgundians, by which King Henry V of England was betrothed to Catherine, daughter of Charles VI. Under the terms of the treaty, Henry V, rather than the Dauphin, was to succeed Charles as King of France. The high-water mark of Plantagenet hegemony in France was reversed in 1429 when the Dauphin (afterwards King Charles VII) and Joan of Arc re-established French control of the town of Troyes by armed conflict (Siege of Troyes).
The great fire of 1524 destroyed much of the medieval city, although the city had numerous canals separating sections.
During the repression of January and February 1894, the police conducted raids targeting the anarchists living there, without much success.
Not having suffered from the last wars, Troyes has a high density of old religious buildings grouped close to the city centre. They include:
Several Troyes churches have sculpture by The Maître de Chaource.
Jewish worship is conducted in the Rashi Synagogue of Troyes, named in honor of Rabbi Salomon Ben Isaac, known as Rashi, the famous commentator of the Talmud. The current building was constructed on the site of an old abbey from the 16th century and replaced the synagogue destroyed during World War II · . The building is in Renaissance style and was restored in the 20th century. It consists of a half-timbered house from the 16th century and another house dating from the 18th century (Louis XV style). A cultural center has also been established.
Recent renovations were undertaken to restore the synagogue to reflect the spirit of Rashi of Troyes' time. The inauguration took place on 4 September 2016, in the presence of Haim Korsia, the Chief Rabbi of France.
The inhabitants of the commune are called Troyens.
Troyes is home to the production headquarters of Lacoste company, a popular clothing brand. It is also home of chocolatier Pascal Caffet.
The University of Technology of Troyes and the business school Groupe École supérieure de commerce de Troyes are located in Troyes.
The train station Gare de Troyes offers connections to Paris, Dijon, Mulhouse and several regional destinations. Troyes is at the junction of motorways A5 (Paris – Troyes – Langres) and A26 (Calais – Reims – Troyes). Troyes – Barberey Airport is a small regional airport.
Troyes is the home of association football club Troyes AC, or ESTAC. In the 2020–21 Ligue 2 season, Troyes were promoted back to Ligue 1 as champions of the division.
Troyes is twinned with: