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Le Mans is a city in north-west France, probably known by most for its prestigious motor race, which is run over 24 hours each year. The race is a good reason to visit Le Mans, which is also an ancient city whose history goes back to Roman times with the name of Cenomanus. The city became Roman in the year 47 BC, and it became a part of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis. Among other things, the Romans built an amphitheater, which can still be seen, and baths. Le Mans was also surrounded by city walls from the 200s.
In the 4th century, the city became the seat of a Roman bishop, and in the following century the construction of Le Mans’ cathedral was started, the finished version of which was consecrated in 1120. Just thirteen years later, later King Henry II was born in Le Mans, and in the following centuries, there were battles between France and England in the region. During the later industrialization, the railway came to the city, where the production of tobacco and vehicles characterized the development. In 1923, the first edition of the city’s famous motor race was run, and since then it has defined the city, which today has approximately 150,000 inhabitants.
There are several things to see and do in Le Mans, where the old part of the city exudes a good atmosphere. The district is called Cité Plantagenêt, and the old walls of Le Mans surround the area, and the walls are exceptionally well preserved with a large part of the old fortress towers and parts of the walls that were built between 280 and 295. In Cité Plantagenêt you can see a part half-timbered houses from the Middle Ages and several of the city’s larger well-known buildings, and the whole district including the old city walls are some of the most famous sights in Le Mans.
Le Mans also offers beautiful churches with the Cathédrale Saint-Julien du Mans being the most important. The construction period lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century, and the church was completed in a combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. In the church interior of the 134-meter-long cathedral you can enjoy some impressive glass mosaics. You can also visit the churches Notre-Dame de la Couture and Notre Dame de Sainte Croix in Le Mans. In the city, you might as well take some lovely walks in the botanical garden, Jardin des Plantes du Mans, which was laid out in the years 1867-1870 by Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand, who was designed facilities such as Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes in the capital Paris.
Angers is a city in the department of Maine-et-Loire in northwestern France. It is an old city and military settlement, but it was in the 13th and 15th centuries that Angers really grew, and it was also at the beginning of this period that the city walls were most recently extended. After this, however, it took until the 19th century before Angers grew beyond the medieval city.
Tours is a city in western France, located along the Loire River. The city was historically a Gallic city, which after the Roman conquest of the region was called Turonensis or Caesarodunum. In the 4th century, Martin of Tours was bishop in the city, and his tomb has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. Tours’ status as an important ecclesiastical center was emphasized by the fact that councils were held in Tours in 461, 567 and 755.
Chartres is a city in northern France, located on the river Eure. Its history goes back to Gallic tribes and even then, it was an important city. The city became Roman in 51 BC, and with the name Carnutum it became a bishop’s seat in the fourth century. Later, Chartres became the regional capital, and throughout the 9th and 11th centuries Normans besieged and burned Chartres.
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