Category: French History
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The Acadians: Expelled from Nova Scotia, Forever French
The Acadians built a new France in Nova Scotia — only to be expelled. Discover their story, their roots in France, and how their identity survived.
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The Pyrenean Escape Routes Are Still There — and Anyone Can Walk Them
During WWII, guides led thousands across the Pyrenees into Spain. The Chemin de la Liberté still exists — and you can walk it today.
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The Roman Buildings in France That People Never Stopped Using
France has Roman amphitheatres, theatres, and aqueducts that have never stopped being used. From Nîmes to Lyon, discover the ancient structures still at the heart of French life today.
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The French Village That Sheltered 3,500 People — and Never Talked About It
High on a remote plateau in the Auvergne, the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon sheltered thousands of Jewish refugees during the Second World War — quietly, collectively, and with extraordinary courage.
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France Has 80 Volcanoes — and Most Visitors Have Never Heard of Them
France has 80 dormant volcanoes in the Auvergne region — the Chaîne des Puys, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most visitors have never heard of them.
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How to Plan a French Heritage Trip to Your Ancestral Village
Plan a French heritage trip to your ancestral village. Find family records, visit the mairie, and walk the streets your ancestors once called home.
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The French Villages That Were Never Rebuilt After World War One
Nine villages near Verdun were destroyed in WWI and never rebuilt. They are still official communes, with mayors but no residents. The Red Zone still exists. The earth is still giving back its dead.
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The Huguenots: France’s Great Exodus and Its Global Legacy
Discover who the Huguenots were, why they fled France, and how their global exodus shaped nations from South Africa to North America.
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Why a 17th-Century Tax Collector Spent His Entire Fortune Building a Canal
Pierre-Paul Riquet was a tax collector who spent his entire fortune building a 240km canal across southern France — and died six months before it opened.
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Why the Gardens at Versailles Were Designed to Make Nature Feel Inferior
Discover the philosophy behind France’s most famous gardens — and why the gardens at Versailles were deliberately designed to prove that human reason can perfect nature.