Although a large and busy city, Le Mans has a lovely old town which is well worth a visit. The site was an important settlement in Roman times, but the area was inhabited long before, indeed it was considered sacred as far back as the prehistoric era. A menhir or standing stone is the oldest historical vestige in the city. Now located next to the cathedral, it was first raised within the original fortified town between 4000 and 5000 BC. In the 4th century it was saved from destruction by St Julian, who came to the town to convert the people to Christianity.
In 1980 Roman baths were discovered in Le Mans during construction work. The Roman Fortification was built around 280 AD - 12 towers, a gate and three posterns are still visible today, particularly along the Sarthe river. The wall is one of the best preserved in Europe, and only one of its kind in France. In the 16th century Le Mans was known as the 'red city' due to the walls, which are made up of brick and the local rusty red stone, roussard, all joined together with a distinctive pink mortar.
Of course, Le Mans has all the atributes of any modern city too with plenty of shops, markets, restaurants, bars and other sites of interest. |
