History in France

Discover 34 places to experience unusual history in France.

The Portail Abattoirs marking the entry to the horse market

Les Abattoirs de Vaugirard

The site of slaughterhouses that once satisfied Parisians' taste for horse meat is now home to a park and book market.

Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France

Birthplace of Joan of Arc

The woman who helped save 15th-century France was born in this humble home.

Statue of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Laffrey, France

Lieu de Rencontre (Field of the Encounter)

On the shores of Lake Laffrey, a monument commemorating one of Napoleon Bonaparte's most compelling victories.

La Dame de Trévières

Trévières, France

La Dame de Trévières

Inaugurated in 1921, this is one of many statues in France dedicated to the people who died during World War I for their country.

Main gates

Natzwiller, France

Natzweiler-Struthof

Today this former Nazi concentration camp stands as a poignant memorial to the victims of fascism, and a warning from history.

Hotel Lutetia

Hotel Lutetia

A glamorous hotel that once accommodated French resistance fighters and concentration camp survivors.

Beaucaire, France

Mas des Tourelles

A winery built on the site of a Gallo-Roman estate uses historical tools to recreate ancient vintages.

Loyasse Cemetery

Loyasse Cemetery

The first modern cemetery of Lyon is complete with more than 200 chapels and monuments.

Execution Site of Jacques de Molay

The approximate spot where the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar was put to death.

The Canadian National Vimy Ridge Memorial.

Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France

Canadian National Vimy Memorial

A monument to the thousands of Canadian soldiers who died capturing the French ridge during World War I.

The inscription on Philibert Aspairt's grave.

Grave of Philibert Aspairt

The tombstone of an unfortunate explorer who disappeared in the Paris Catacombs.

The magnificent Falaise Castle.

Falaise, France

Château de Falaise

The birthplace of the ferocious William the Conqueror, this castle is awash in medieval history.

The Tower of Joan of Arc rising over Rouen.

Tower of Joan of Arc

This medieval tower is all that remains of the castle where Joan of Arc was held before being burned at the stake.

The Norman cavalry charge being met with Anglo Saxon spearmen.

Bayeux Tapestry

This enormous "cloth of the conquest" depicts the Norman invasion of England in mind-blowing detail.

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle.

Orschwiller, France

Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.

The Venus of Brassempouy on display with other artifacts at the National Archaeological Museum.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

The Venus of Brassempouy

This prehistoric figurine is the oldest known realistic depiction of a human face.