Category: French History
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What the Small Plaques on French Street Corners Are Really Telling You
Walk down almost any French street and you will find a small marble plaque fixed to a wall. A name. A date. Most tourists walk past them — but these plaques tell France’s most important story.
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The Forbidden Faith That Left Ruined Castles Across the South of France
The Cathars were peaceful, deeply spiritual people who lived across the hills of southern France — and medieval Europe tried to erase them. Their ruined hilltop castles still stand.
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Why Leonardo da Vinci Spent His Final Years in a French Château
Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years at Clos Lucé in the Loire Valley. Discover why France’s greatest royal invitation changed art history — and why the Mona Lisa hangs in Paris.
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The Hidden Passages of Lyon That Silk Workers Built and the Resistance Survived
Discover Lyon’s traboules — hidden passageways built by silk workers that the French Resistance used to outwit the Gestapo. They still exist today.
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Why France Sealed the World’s Greatest Cave Paintings Away from Visitors Forever
In 1940, teenagers discovered Lascaux — 17,000-year-old cave paintings in the Dordogne. Within 15 years, visitors were destroying them. France made the hardest decision in cultural heritage history.
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The French Villages Destroyed in WWI That France Chose Never to Rebuild
Nine villages near Verdun were completely destroyed during the Battle of 1916 and never rebuilt. France still keeps them as official communes, with mayors but no residents — ghost villages that refuse to disappear.
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Why France Still Packs Crowds Into Its Ancient Roman Arenas
France has Roman arenas that are still packed with crowds. From Nîmes to Orange, discover the ancient amphitheatres and theatres still in use today.
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The French Villages That Vanished in WWI and Were Never Rebuilt
Nine villages near Verdun were so completely destroyed in WWI that France declared them uninhabitable. More than a century later, they remain empty — officially recognised communes with mayors but no residents.
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The Abbey That Survived Viking Raids but Not the French Revolution
The ruined towers of Jumièges Abbey in Normandy tell a story that spans Viking raids, royal visits, and Revolutionary France. Here’s what to expect.
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The Forgotten Crusade That France Launched Against Its Own People
There are castles in southern France that most visitors never notice. They sit on clifftops so high they seem to belong to the sky rather than the land. Locals pass beneath them every day without looking up. And behind each one is a story that most French history books barely mention. Photo: Love France Who…