Chartres

Chartres is a tiny town southwest of Paris and the capital of the Eure-et-Loire region of France. The town’s name comes from the River Autura that later was renamed civitas Carnutum, "city of the Carnutes" a principal town of a Celtic tribe. In 858, the city was sieged by the Normans however by 911 the town was reclaimed. Throughout the course of history, Chartres has fought to reclaim their independence from the English during the Hundred Years’ War, the Protestants during the Wars of Religion, and the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War. The eminent medieval Catholic cathedral known as the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres resides in the tiny town. The gothic cathedral is listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

Tourists can visit the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, participate in the Chartres Arts and Crafts Fair, walk the Labyrinth of the cathedral and visit the monument to Jean Moulin, a major leader of the French Resistance during WWII.