Articles
Car Hire Reims
The Region and City ...
Reims is the capital of Champagne famous for it's namesake which accounts to 20% of the total produce of the region. Despite receiving heavy damage during the World War I the city includes many masterpieces of architecture including the UNESCO world heritage listed Basilique St Remi and Palais du Tau. The city has a long tradition of French coronations held within the breath taking cathedral Notre-Dame.
Reims is located 125 km (77 miles) north of Troyes and 143 km (89 miles) east of Paris.
Reims history predates Roman times when it was the capital of a Gaulish tribe for which the city's name is derived (the Remes). Roman times brought great wealth with large public and commercial buildings of which two survive in some part today.
As the Roman's fought the onslaught from hordes to the east the city was converted to Christianity with the first cathedral built in the 3rd century. After the inevitable fall to the Franks the city witnessed the conversion of Clovis (King of the Franks) to Christianity by the Bishop of Reims on Christmas Day 500 AD. From this day on, Reims became an important centre of religion and the arts with French coronations taking place from the 11th century right until 1825.
The First World War though brought great destruction with 80% of the city being reduced to rubble. The Second World War spared the city any more destruction and the German surrender was signed in Reims at the headquarters of Eisenhower.
Car Hire Highlights Include...
Truly one of the greatest cathedrals in the world is the Cathedrale Notre-Damn dating from as early as 1210 on the site of two earlier cathedrals. The Cathedral was a victim of the First World War with severe damage to the roof and a fire which caused the bells to melt and ancient stone to split. The Rockefeller foundation as well as international efforts financed the restoration of the building finally completed in 1937. The Cathedral boasts over 2,300 statues around the exterior although some are copies with the originals (damaged by war and weather) found in the Palais du Tau.
For parking close to the town centre use the Basses et Hautes Promenades which are vast squares laid out in the 18th century replacing old fortifications. At Christmas and Easter the place comes alive with a large fun fair.
Not far from this the Porte Mars, one of the remnants of the Roman history of Reims. A triumphal arch built for the Roman Emperor Augustus around the 3 century AD.
The Palais du Tau (archbishops palace) is T shaped building housing the treasury and some external statues from the Cathedral. It too was severley damaged during the First World War but has been restored since and houses many works of interest and exhibitions.
The Basilique St-Remi was built on the site of a small chapel which held the remains of St Remi. The building founded by Benedictine monks houses the burial places of some of the first Kings of France as well as the Holy Phial intrinsic to the French coronations.
