Auvergne’s capital is dominated by volcanic peaks to the north, west, and south, in a setting that will give you goosebumps.
If you go by car, the first landmark you'll see below is the church, made of jet black flint and like no other church in the country. Clermont-Ferrand is crammed with engaging history, and is a young and convivial university city, with a pedigree for learning that goes back to Blaise Pascal. The city is also the home of Michelin, which is famed for a lot more than just tires, as you’ll discover at the L’Aventure Michelin a new museum showing how an iconic French brand came to be. Discover the best things to do in Clermont-Ferrand.
[toc]
1. Basilique Notre-Dame-du-Port
The most revered of the romanesque churches of Auvergne, this basilica was first founded in the 6th century but rebuilt some 500 years later. Don't be entered without seeing the geometric mosaic pictures on the outer walls of the chapel and the chapel radiating, made of sandstone and volcanic rock.
You may need some form of interpretation but it’s well worth going slow and observing the capitals between the chancel and ambulatory, as each one is full of symbolism and tells its own story.
These carvings are the best-preserved romanesque art in the region and show bible episodes like the assumption and Adam and Eve being expelled from paradise, as well as medieval allegorical images.
2. Puy-de-Dôme
Soaring just a few kilometers west of Clermont-Ferrand, there’s no excuse not to add this titanic 1,465-metre volcano to your plans.
The good news is that you don’t need to be an outdoor adventurer to get the best out of the Puy-de-Dôme: Road traffic is forbidden but there is a high-speed rail line that serves the summit at all times of the year and will take you there in just 20 minutes, with departures never 40 minutes seasons and 20 minutes in the summer.
At the top of the grass, you can choose to be dazzled by the scenery, get a table at the restaurant or explore the ruins of the Roman Mercury Temple, located on the Roman road that is still used as the route of the people. Long walk.
3. L’Aventure Michelin
This wonderful museum of Michelin origins, present and future will also tell you much about modern Clermont-Ferrand. That's because Michelin is the largest employer in the city and has developed whole districts for its workers.
You will see how Bibendum (Michelin Man) was born and will be guided through all the innovations that the company has introduced, such as the first detachable tires and famous guides.
4. Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral
No Clermont-Ferrand church is missing, especially because its black lava rock allows you to easily identify it from the slopes outside the city. It was built in the 13th century and was influenced by the gothic cathedrals of northern France, though it wouldn’t be completed for many hundreds of years.
In the 19th-century the master restorer Viollet-Le-Duc laid out plans for the final touches, including the western spires, which rise to 108 meters.
There are lots of flourishes that are from the medieval era though, like the 13th-century red and blue stained glass windows and marvelous frescos in the crypt, sacristy, and ambulatory from between the 12th and 15th centuries.
5. Old Montferrand
Clermont-Ferrand, consisting of two medieval cities, actually has two old quarters. Montferrand is a few kilometers northeast of the church and is best discovered under your steam when you see churches, palaces, an old church, villas made from Volvic lava and lots of The house has a wooden frame from the middle ages onwards.
Make sure you pass the Roman Maison de l KhanElephant, from the 13th century on the streets of Rue Kléber. Montferrand was a purpose-built bastide town built in the 12th century and had hostility to its neighbor Clermont until they were forced to merge in the 17th century.
It was not a happy marriage either, because Montferrand proposed independence four times, the last time was in 1911!
6. Old Clermont
On the streets around the church, you have to keep your eyes open because there are all sorts of great buildings and historical surprises.
One of them is on the Rue des Chaussetiers: Hôtel Savaron is a 16th-century renaissance castle with a beautifully carved courtyard of Savoron peak in the lintel above the entrance and three floors of a covered walkway.
The Place de la Victoire next to the church is a place with cafes and restaurants, where friends meet in the evening.
7. Musée d’Art Roger-Quilliot (MARQ)
Part of the former Ursuline Monastery in Montferrand, the city's art museum is named after a former mayor. The museum opened in 1992, with a modern three-storey skylight, lit by a glass roof.
In the medieval chambers, there are many intriguing artifacts such as a Roman wooden sculpture of the Virgin and the God of the Batman Usson and the capital from local churches.
In the renaissance area, there is furniture, sculpture and a painting by the first Dutch artist Cornelis Engebrechtsz. Then in the Grande Galerie, you’ll be struck by the richness of 19th-century French art, with contributions by Delacroix, Gustave Doré and Camille Claudel.
8. Place de Jaude
Clermont-Ferrand’s main square was completely revitalized ten years ago at great expense, around the time the city introduced its new tram system.
Place de Jaude is almost completely car-free and is ringed with fountains, laurel, tulip, and American sweetgum trees, and as you’d hope there are many places to take the weight off and order a coffee.
Get a photo of the bronze equestrian statue of the Gaulish leader Vercingetorix which was shaped by Bartholdi, who made the Statue of Liberty. Also, check out the northern part of the square, which is made of basalt and has 250 red and yellow diodes representing the movement of the lava.
9. Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle Henri-Lecoq
You may not have heard of the French botanist, Henri-Lecoq, but he was referenced by Darwin in the Origins of Spec, and throughout his life, he had a collection of 80,000 specimens. From around the world contains all groups of mollusks. Lecoq works at Clermont-Ferrand, where he is the dean of the City of Science Faculty.
The Museum of Natural History is located in his mansion and now has hundreds of thousands of minerals, insects, fossils and plant specimens. Those mollusks are still here, but if you’re impressed by the volcanic activity in Auvergne there’s an array of igneous rocks that might pique your interest.
10. Jardin Lecoq
Also in homage to Henri Lecoq is this soothing public garden plotted in the English style, so with sinuous paths, shrubs, and rolling lawns. It’s a botanical garden too, with 25,000 varieties of season plants putting on a spectacle of color and scent in spring and summer.
There are also 300 different trees and the whole environment is kept in the shape of a ship by a busy group of gardeners. The pond has a bridge over it and a stall with a cafe, while those with children can take them to the playground if they need something fun after going around the city.
More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Olbia, Italy
from : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-clermont-ferrand-707357.html
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét