We have been lucky enough to visit several towns/villages of my belle France, this was an unique visit as one of my boys former girlfriend’sister lived here and he visited, let me know, there is a town name Dreux! I came to picked him up and passed a bit by city center/downtown of it, Surely need to come back for more, but for now lucky to have found me the picture in my cd rom vault to put this post in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on this is Dreux !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The city of Dreux is located in the Eure-et-Loir department no 28 in the Centre-Val de Loire region of my belle France, It is 82 km from Paris via the N12,(which we take as well), 81 km from Rouen, 118 km from Le Mans, 100 km from Orléans, 158 km from Tours, 33 km from Chartres, 63 km from Versailles, and 377 km from my current home, We came here from Versailles, but lately more from our current home along the N24 to Rennes, then N157 and get on the N12 dir Mayenne ;Alençon, to city center Dreux, The main road here is the N12 ,and, in the future, by a Rouen-Chartres highway bypass currently under construction (A154 and RN 154),
The former City/town hall known as Le Beffroi, located in Place Métezeau, was built in the 16C in the Louis XII style. The old City/ town hall of Dreux consists of a belfry , whose facade is flanked by two corbelled turrets, while the rear of the building features a quadrangular tower containing a spiral staircase. It has two floors above a cellar, topped with a high roof and large gabled dormer windows, in the full French tradition. The ground floor of the belfry corresponds to the Lower Hall, then reserved for the mayor’s court, while on the first floor the Great Hall was where the city council met. Above the whole structure is a cornice with Renaissance modillions and coffers. The municipal clock, striking every hour, now symbolized a change in the division of time. Around 1564, the city of Dreux had a new bell cast bearing the date 1561. On the current 3,500 kg bell, made in 1839, a frieze surrounding the bell depicts the procession known as the “flambarts” which marks the winter solstice: this ceremony is materialized here by a succession of 74 figures, some of whom carry torches on their shoulders while others light them as they walk. The last time the large bell was rung at full swing was on November 11, 1918, in honor of the armistice of the Great War or WWI. Since then, it has been decided to only ring it gently in order to preserve the fragile structure.
A bit of history of the Belfry tell us that it was erected between 1512 and 1537, during the reigns of Louis XII and Francis I. It symbolizes the municipal freedoms acquired by the citizens of Dreux as early as the reign of Louis VI the Fat. Originally, it served both as a City/town hall and an observation post to warn of fires or hostile troop movements. The Belfry remains one of the major examples of Louis XII style civil architecture and a testament to the renewed prosperity of Dreux at the end of the 15C. A true symbol of the city, the belfry is the only monument of its kind in Eure-et-Loir. Under Louis XIV, the belfry served as a guardhouse and prison for prisoners of war. It was they who carved curious graffiti on the staircase wall: ships flying the Spanish flag.
Other things to see here with more time are the Château de Dreux,former royal castle: The domain of the Royal Chapel of Saint-Louis, 14C, necropolis of the Orléans family, is located within the grounds of Dreux Castle (see post). Saint-Pierre Church construction spanned from the 13C to the 17C. The largest part, the one visible today, was built in the 15C, after the Hundred Years’ War and the destruction caused by the siege of 1421 by Henry V of England. The former Hôtel-Dieu (hospital) dates from the 16C, and its foundling tower from the 19C. The former chapel, now an exhibition space, notably houses the painting “The Battle of Dreux,” a monumental oil on canvas offered by Louis-Philippe in 1846 (collection of the Dreux Museum of Art and History).
A bit of history I like tell us that Dreux was a border town of the French royal domain facing the Duchy of Normandy, long controlled access to the Kingdom of France. This led to it being coveted by the Dukes of Normandy and the Counts of Anjou on multiple occasions throughout history. It was besieged around the year 1000 by Richard II, Duke of Normandy. It was established as a town by Louis the Fat around 1108, or even as early as 1092 according to some. This was confirmed by Robert of Dreux in 1180, with the townspeople then pledging to defend the town against the king’s enemies. This stronghold withstood several sieges. It was besieged in 1188 by Henry II of England, then in 1412 by the Burgundians during the civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, and in 1421 by Henry V of England. During the Wars of Religion, on December 19, 1562, the Battle of Dreux took place between the Catholic and royal army of Catherine de’ Medici, regent of the Kingdom of France and Countess of Dreux, and the Protestant troops of Prince Louis of Condé and Admiral Coligny. The Catholics were victorious. In 1816, some 23 years after the sacking, on November 21, 1793, during the revolutionary vandalism, of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Étienne, which her father had made his family necropolis, the Duchess of Orléans, only daughter and sole heiress of the Duke of Penthièvre and mother of Louis-Philippe I, had the Saint-Louis Chapel erected on the hill overlooking the city. During WWII, Dreux was under nazis occupation from 1940 to 1944. It was liberated on August 16, 1944, by the American armored battalion of Lieutenant Sam Isaacs, of the 5th US Armored Division.
The City of Dreux on its heritage : https://dreux.com/patrimoine/
The Dreux tourist office on the Beffroi : https://www.ot-dreux.fr/sit/beffroi-de-dreux/
The Eure et Loir dept 28 tourist office on the Beffroi of Dreux : https://www.tourisme28.com/sit/beffroi-de-dreux/
There you go folks, another dandy of my belle France. A City worth the detour to see more of its architecture and history. We will be back, eventually, Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Dreux !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 