Photogallery of Chartres, France

Chartres is a wonderful French city situated on the bank of the Eure River. This settlement is located approximately 96 kilometers from the French capital. Chartres is situated in the geographical center of the country. For many tourists, Chartres is a “city of lights”. When the sun goes down, twenty-seven buildings in the city become participants of a marvelous light show that combines visual effects, sounds, and music. Due to its rich cultural and historical heritage, Chartres is an interesting place to visit for everyone interested in sightseeing. The Eure-et-Loir department (Chartres is its capital) is a picturesque place with many mesmerizing views. In the past, Chartres was one of the main Celtic cities. With the start of the Gallo-Roman epoch, the city changed its name to Autricum. Later, it was famous as civitas Carnutum (the city of the Carnutes). The latter name later evolved to Chartres, the modern name of the city. Normans completely burned the city down in the middle of the 9th century. The city’s authorities rebuilt the settlement, and Chartres became an important center of trade in the Middle Ages. Later, Chartres gave its name to a whole county of the Blois family. During the Hundred Years’ War, the British managed to capture the city and own it for fifteen years starting from 1417. Chartres got an upgraded status at the end of the 20s of the 16th century. It became a duchy during the reign of Francis I. In the 1870s, when France was in a … Read further