Travel through the centuries | Historic towns and villages | Gothic heritage | Museums and Galleries | Performing arts

From chapels to Celtic fortresses, Picardie offers a journey through French history. Picardie's six most impressive Gothic cathedrals, in Amiens, Beauvais, Laon, Noyon, Senlis and Soissons testify to the genius of the Middle Ages. They are masterpieces of Gothic art and recognised as such by every expert. Each of these towns, as well as several other hidden places on the way, let you breathe in the royal air of history.

10th century
Let's start the journey in Soissons in the year 486, France's first Capital after the victory over the last Roman general. The immense Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral still reflects the power of this city that saw "Caesar conquering, Clovis governing and Napoleon tottering" (Victor Hugo).

12-13th century
As you leave the roads and follow the tracks deep into the heart of Picardie's ancient forests, you are drawn into the 12th and 13th century. The ruins of a Cistercian Abbey with a fascinating mediaeval medicinal herb garden lie in the Vauclair forest.
The Château de Coucy, one of Europe's most impressive fortresses of the 13th century, is in the forest of Saint-Gobain, and a fascinating place to visit more than once. It was, incredibly, still serving as a fort in WW1.
Picardie is especially proud of its architectural masterpieces in 13th century Gothic. The 47m high Cathedral in Noyon is the highest of all the Notre-Dames, while the Saint-Pierre cathedral in Beauvais is the highest in the entire Christian world - 225 feet high. Its interior attracts visitors too, with the highest choir in the world as well as with the world's oldest chiming clock (1302). Due to its sheer size and beauty of construction, the Notre-Dame cathedral in Amiens is a listed UNESCO World Heritage site. It measures 145m in length, and covers an area of 200,000 square metres, making it the world's largest gothic building. It could contain Notre-Dame de Paris twice over!

14-16th century
The royal glory of this period comes alive during a visit to Picardie's spectacular castles, found throughout the region.
The Château de Compiègne had been a royal residence since the late 14th century. (Later, Napoleon III would host the most spectacular reception of his reign there.)
The glorious Château de Pierrefonds displays the architecture of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance, and was restored in the mid 19th Century by Viollet-le-Duc.

The Château de Chantilly, one of the region's jewels, was once the residence of Princes who changed French history.
Whether overlooking the champagne-growing Marne valley from the feudal fortress in Château-Thierry, or the surrounding waters and forests from the Château de Chantilly, these are views made for kings! Chantilly also houses the Museum of the Living Horse in the most beautiful stables of the world - stables fit for royalty to live in since the Prince of Condé believed he would reincarnate as a horse.
For a change in perspectives, one should continue with a visit to the Château de Guise. This castle has imposing fortifications, in reinforcing which Vauban played a significant part in the 17th century, as well as miles of underground passages, laid out over 17 hectares.

15-19th century
Not only are there fortified castles like the one at Rambures, representing 15th century military architecture, but also fortified churches. More than 60 of these were built in the Thiérache region in the Aisne, in order to protect civilians and their livestock in times of border conflicts and religious wars.
A Historical Monument of the 19th century rounds off this journey through time. Le Familistère Godin in Guise (the town in which revolutionary figure Camille Demoulins was born) is a 'social palace' built by the successful entrepreneur Godin, who wanted to enable all his employees to live like Kings of their time. Godin stoves are still in production today, including the beautiful Art Nouveau designs. This model village is one of the earliest examples of 19th century philanthropy protecting industrial workers and their families from the harshness of industrial life.