Chartres is a small city in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France, approximately an hour south-west of Paris by train. Population is 42,000 although that rises to 100,000 when the surrounding towns are taken into consideration.
The main attraction for most visitors to
Chartres is the 12th century cathedral, considered by many
art historians to be the finest surviving example from the High Gothic period.
In the last couple of years a new mayor has overseen the modernization
of the center of the town.
There has provoked both positive and negative reactions
from the "Chartrains", but there is no doubt that the town is undergoing a certain renewal.
