Reims is one of the most important industrial and commercial cities in northern France. For centuries, it competed with Paris for the title of the country's main administrative center. Royal coronations took place here, and the local cathedral, which is visited today by crowds of tourists, dazzled with monumentalism.
Reims was founded on the ruins of the Gallic settlement Durocortorum, which in the first centuries of our era came under the rule of the Romans. After the Empire's loss of control over these areas, a bishopric was established here as early as 290. In 496, King Franks Chlodwig was baptized in the local church. Soon the stronghold became the seat of the archbishop. The cathedral here until 1825 became the place of coronation for the kings of France. The current buildings of Reims are largely the result of reconstruction after the tragic damage suffered by the city during the shelling during World War I.
The most important monument of Reims is the UNESCO-listed Gothic cathedral. This two-tower, powerful temple made of stone was decorated in the 20th century with stained glass windows by Marc Chagall, and its facade contains over 7,000 medieval sculptures. Around the cathedral stretches the Old Town with picturesque tenements and squares. Among the buildings you can also find the Romanesque basilica of Saint Remigiusz.
