lalalacheesejah

Going to Dublin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Lucerne, Brussels, Florence, Barcelona (I feel like there are more, but just can't remember right now...)

I'm a history major and total mess when it comes to medieval European history (I'm practically obsessed). Interested in anything important relating to fall of Rome up to end of the Englightenment.

What good sights in (or very near) above cities besides the major attractions (e.g. the Tower of London) that a medieval history buff would love that aren't so well known? Which are worth visiting?

But I must add that I even enjoy places that others might find boring, especially other college kids. I can appreciate them simply for their beauty and/or historical value.

lalalacheesejah

Obviously I know there are lots as many of these cities are brimming with history, but have you ever been to lesser known places.

thanks bye!

Iowa_Redhead

It's harder to see sites like that as you're with a tour. Many of the best things to see are outside of the big cities.

I don't know if it's in the "right" time period for you but the Westminster Abby and St Paul's Cathedral in London are fantastic. Take the verger tour at one and the "supertour" at the other to get a ton of history information.

That's the best I can offer you for now, sorry. If you're interested in history cathedrals/old churches tend to be one of the best places to find some fascinating stuff.

charnees

Castles in the Loire Valley in France. Just about any of them.

If you are interested in stuff up to the Enlightenment, then you are including the Renaissance. That covers mega sites in Europe. Florence of course is the mother ship of the Renaissance, but there are towns all around in Tuscany and Umbria that will fill the bill.

jamikins

The Tower of London is not to be missed! http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

Best site in all of London I think! Expect spend at least half a day here!

StCirq

Well, the Hôtel de Sens I believe is the last remaining complete medieval building in Paris.

But aren't you going on one of those "If it's Tuesday" tours? How will you get to the lesser known places (of which there are thousands and thousands)?

charnees

Carcassone, Roussillon, tons of places in the Dordgone valley, such as Chateau de Castelnaud, Beynac, or at the eastern end, St. Michel de Montaigne, and in Provence: Les Baux de Provence, Vaison la Romaine, st. Remy de Provence, Aix en provence, Gordes, Marseille, Beaune, Avignon.

nytraveler

Um - all you have to do is have a look at a few guidebooks. All of the places you've listed have substantial pre-Renaissance sights.

Dublin: Dublin Castle
London: Westminster Abbey, Jewel Tower, Windsor Castle (and a bunch of others not far away), Oxford, Cambridge
Paris: Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Museum de Cluny, much of the Ile de la Cite, parts of the Sorbonne, other churches

You should be able to find much more comprehensive lists by spending about 30 minutes researching each city.

StCirq

Ditto nytraveler.

And you're obsessed, as you say you are, with medieval history, one would presume you know where to go.

ParisAmsterdam

My favourite book is Barbara Tuchman's
"A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century"... it was amazing to visit the ruins of the castle of the book's protagonist, Enguerrand de Coucy.

http://tinyurl.com/25ald6f

spaarne

lala....

The Landeszeughaus armory in Graz, Austria will blow you away.

janisj

From some of your other threads it sounds like you are on a whirlwind tour covering half of western Europe in 25 days. Every one of those cities has wonderful Medieval sites -- but how much free time will you have to visit any of them?

Some, like the Tower of London or Notre Dame, might be on your itinerary. But others like the castles of the Loire etc -- You most likely won't be going there.

Why not post a link to your tour, then we can look for places where you might be able to squeeze in some sites.

Lutetia

Not far from Paris you have:

the lovely medieval town of Provins
http://www.provins.net/index.php/english-version.html

and the city of Troyes
http://www.tourisme-troyes.com/

flanneruk

As far as London's concerned:

By our definition, "medieval" starts at 1066 and stops at 1485. And central London's extraordinarily bereft of anything built during that period. The Tower, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Hall, a handful of churches (listed at http://www.britainexpress.com/London...l-churches.htm, but note that most are actually new - 17th century - buildings) - and that's pretty close to all there is. Outside central London, it's a different story: but you have to allow time to get to Oxford, Cambridge or Winchester (or any of the 8,000 villages with a medieval church) - and it's not clear you've got that time.

Artefacts from the period are also scarce, because of Protestant fundamentalists' destruction between 1540 and 1660 of anything they disapproved of, the Tudors' obsession with demolishing everything old, and the ravages of the Great Fire. But the new medieval galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum have managed to assemble a remarkable display of just how much high-quality craft there was in Britain at the time. And though the displays referring to this period at the Museum of London are probably the weakest part of the museum, it's free and gives at least some insights into daily life.

Pvoyageuse

In Barcelona : the Gothic Quarter and the Maritime Museum housed in the rota shipyards (13th century)

Pvoyageuse

read "royal" shipyards

Cathinjoetown

Another recommendation for The Cluny (National Museum of the Middle Ages) in Paris--great location at the intersection of Blvds St. Michel and St. Germain. As a bonus, it incorporates a Roman bath discovered in the garden and under the foundations of the present building (Cluny abbey of late 15th century). Among many artifacts of everyday life and of the church, the museum also houses six fantastic Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. One of my favorite places in Paris.

About 500 metres away, also on the left bank of the Seine, is the church of St. Julien Le Pauvre from the 12th C--supposed to be the place where the builders of Notre Dame worshiped. It's now a Greek-Catholic church and often the site of evening concerts.

I've tried to think of places for you that would be easy to find and visit while on a tour. The Marais, of course, is the oldest section of Paris but not sure how much exists from the Middle Ages--Place des Voges is 17 C.

The Temple Church, off Fleet St. in London, was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th C. It featured in the "Da Vinci Code", but don't hold that against it.

lalalacheesejah

StCirq, whats with the 'tude? Yes, I am a lover of history, but I have never had the opportunity to actually get overseas and see the places I've heard about. See if they are what they are cracked up to be. Nor have I been able to explore and find hidden treasures.

Also, I am particularly focused on studying medieval G.B. and a little France, so I am seeking info about places in other countries.

So that is why I am asking people who HAVE been what they enjoyed.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll definitely look into them!

lalalacheesejah

"Um - all you have to do is have a look at a few guidebooks."

nytraveler, what is the point of this site/forum if I'm just supposed to consult guidebooks? If I wanted to ask an inanimate object for help I would, but right now I am asking real people about their experiences and opinons.

That is like telling anyone with a question on this site to just go look at a guidebook or another web site.

mpprh

There is a wonderful bridge on the lake in Lucern.
It was burned down in the 1970's but rebuilt as an exact replica with photos of the lost artworks.

Note that Carcassonne is a disneyesque reconstruction. pulls the tourists, but is nothing like the original.

Virtually every old town in South France has a walled medieval centre. Here is a typical example, Anduze, Sommieres, Aigues Mortes :

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&sa...13797&t=k&z=16

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...03449&t=k&z=18

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...13797&t=k&z=16

Peter