Once France's second largest city and now the vinegar capital of France, a direct result of the region's wine industry, Orleans was liberated from the British by Joan of Arc in 1429. Each year in May a celebration commemorating her exploits is held; the house in which she stayed during the ten-day siege of Orleans can be visited. The city also features the Hotel Groslot, a brick and stone Renaissance mansion which served as the Town Hall, and the Gothic Cathedral of St-Croix. Places of interest to visit in the surrounding area: the castles of Chamerolles and Sully-sur-Loire.
Orleans has strong ties with a simple peasant girl, Joan of Arc who stormed the city in 1429 to overthrow English forces and restore Charles VII to the French throne. Reminders of Joan are everywhere not least in the Cathedrale Ste-Croix where her pedestal is protected by two golden leopards. The town itself was heavily bombed in WWII although the historic centre remained largely untouched. Place du Matroi is a good starting point complete with equestrian statue of none other than Orleans heroine herself! One of the grandest Renaissance mansions is Hotel Groslot where kings Charles IX, Henry III and Henri IV all stayed. Orleans is a useful base for exploring the Loire Valley and the surrounding vineyards of Sancerre which produces the region's venerated white wine. |
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