Troyes: The Half-Timbered Town, the Cats' Alley and 1,500m² of Stained Glass
Grand Est, France
Badge Unlock
Troyes Cat
Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.
225
XP
+100 France
= 325 total
1 day
Troyes: The Half-Timbered Town, the Cats' Alley and 1,500m² of Stained Glass
225 + 100 XP
Troyes, the old capital of the counts of Champagne, was rebuilt in half-timbering after the fire of 1524, and in the Ruelle des Chats the gables lean until they touch, so that a cat could cross from one side to the other over the roofs. The cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul has 1,500m² of stained glass, and the town's museums include the Maison de l'Outil et de la Pensée Ouvrière and a museum of hosiery.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Walk the Ruelle des Chats end to end, from rue Champeaux to rue Charbonnet, following the central gutter channel cut into the paving in the medieval manner, then look up to where the two rows of facades meet at the top and are held apart by timber props
2
of 4
In the cathedral's 1,500 m² of glass, find the Pressoir Mystique of 1625 in the fourth chapel of the left aisle, where a vine springs from the breast of Christ and its branches carry the twelve Apostles
3
of 4
In the Maison de l'Outil, in the Renaissance hôtel de Mauroy of 1556, work along the 65 cases of 11,000 hand tools and pick out the three trades — wood, iron, leather or stone — whose tools you could still name a use for
4
of 4
In the Saint-Jean quarter, where the houses were rebuilt as they had stood before the great fire of 1524, compare a timber-framed front with one of the stone-and-brick fronts laid in the chequer pattern the Champenois call damier champenois, and decide which the rebuilders trusted more
Walk the Ruelle des Chats end to end, from rue Champeaux to rue Charbonnet, following the central gutter channel cut into the paving in the medieval manner, then look up to where the two rows of facades meet at the top and are held apart by timber props
In the cathedral's 1,500 m² of glass, find the Pressoir Mystique of 1625 in the fourth chapel of the left aisle, where a vine springs from the breast of Christ and its branches carry the twelve Apostles
In the Maison de l'Outil, in the Renaissance hôtel de Mauroy of 1556, work along the 65 cases of 11,000 hand tools and pick out the three trades — wood, iron, leather or stone — whose tools you could still name a use for
In the Saint-Jean quarter, where the houses were rebuilt as they had stood before the great fire of 1524, compare a timber-framed front with one of the stone-and-brick fronts laid in the chequer pattern the Champenois call damier champenois, and decide which the rebuilders trusted more
Before you go
The cathedral is open daily 9.30–12.30 and 14.00–18.00, with a closed break over the middle of the day, and from 1 November to 31 March it shuts at 17.00.
The Maison de l'Outil is open all year, 9am to midday and 2pm to 6pm, but it closes on Tuesdays from October to March and for about a week over the New Year — the published calendar stops on 21 December and resumes on 2 January. The Ruelle des Chats and the cathedral glass cost nothing; the glass needs daylight, so a winter visit wants the middle of the day.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Grand Est
Loading region info…
Explore more about Grand Est:
Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
225 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
325 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
More challenges nearby
within 100km
Lac d'Orient: The Forest Lakes of the Aube, Their Beaches and the Crane Observatories
France · Grand Est
wildlife
easy
1d
20 km away
Arcis-sur-Aube: Danton's Home Town and Napoleon's Battle of 1814
France · Grand Est
history
easy
1d
27 km away
Les Riceys: Three Appellations in One Commune
France · Grand Est
food
easy
1d
40 km away
Nogent-sur-Seine: The Musée Camille Claudel and the Château de La Motte-Tilly
France · Grand Est
cultural
easy
1d
48 km away
Tonnerre: The Fosse Dionne and the Longest Medieval Hospital in Europe
France · Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
history
easy
1d
50 km away
Tanlay and Ancy-le-Franc: Two Renaissance Châteaux on the Burgundy Canal
France · Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
history
easy
1d
50 km away