France 2015 - Day 6 - Reims - Around Town

After a 3-4 hour drive we arrived at Reims. Jo's pick as it's the heart of the Champagne region.

Our tour of a Champagne House wasn't until the following day so we walked into town for a look around. We headed towards the most obvious landmark, the Cathedral. The front was under repair when we were there.

Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Reims) is the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims, where the kings of France were crowned. The cathedral replaced an older church, destroyed by fire in 1211, that was built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptised by Saint Remi, bishop of Reims, in AD 496. That original structure had itself been erected on the site of some Roman baths.

 

On the outbreak of the First World War, the cathedral was commissioned as a hospital, and troops and arms were removed from its immediate vicinity. German shellfire during the opening engagements on 20 September 1914 burned, damaged and destroyed important parts of the cathedral.  (Wikipedia)

Here you can see some of the damage from the war.

 Around the back

 Gargoyles

The coronation didn't occur in the Cathedral itself but in the building through this gate to the left.

We jumped on a this little tourist train, sat back and let it take us around the town.

The Carnegie Library of Reims is a public library built with money donated by businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to the city of Reims after World War I. (Wikipedia)

The Town Hall dates from the first part of the 17th century, but was ended in the 19th century.  It displays an in-relief equestrian sculpture of Louis the 13th in its front.
The symmetrical composition of the final building uses all the elements of the second French Renaissance architecture that was still here under Louis the 13th. (reims-tourism.com)

Built in 1757 in honour of king Louis XV, the architecture of Place Royale is typical of the 18th century: arcades and roofs with balusters with horizontal lines. The pediment of the Hôtel des Fermes, the current subprefecture, depicts the commercial activities of Reims.

 

Some street scenes

Love the little blue car.

Joan of Arc in the square around the Cathedral

After our wander around we had dinner and then headed back to our Hotel for the complementary bottle of Champagne . After all we're in the home of Champagne so it would be rude not try some.