La Fête Nationale: 14 facts about France's national holiday July 14 The July 14 'Bastille Day' celebration features a military parade in Paris and means a day off work - although in 2024 it falls on a Sunday
Normandy museum shows the power of UK-France cooperation Musee No 4 Commando in Ouistreham pays tribute to the French commandos who landed on Sword Beach on D-Day
Puy du Fou looks to open sister theme park in UK The French historical park attracted 2.5 million visitors in 2023
magazine French team build faithful replica of William the Conqueror’s warship Visitors to the Normandy site can experience a voyage on La Mora in virtual reality
Rocamadour’s famous sword in the rock is missing, theft suspected The sword was made famous by an epic of French literature
June 2024: Catch up with French history: 10, 50 and 100 years ago From the presidency of François Hollande to that of Gaston Doumergue with an erotic film between them
How France's Cluny abbey shone before its downfall Do you know the story behind this majestic abbey's decadence and subsequent demise?
Help choose ‘France’s favourite monument’ Pick your choice and tune in to the live final to see who wins the top spot
D-Day 80 years: France to send a ‘Liberty flame’ to UK and USA The flame has already been welcomed at a memorial ceremony in France, and will be received at similar events in the UK and USA to remember the pivotal 1944 landings
Fee to visit Mont-Saint-Michel rejected for other ways to ease crowds ‘People forget that it’s a commune; it’s a village. We can’t just introduce limits and stop citizens from coming and going,’ says the director
Influence of war’s Vichy regime still present in France Legislation introduced by the Vichy regime in World War Two is still being applied in France today according to an expert historian
Women given right to vote in France 80 years ago It came a full 96 years after suffrage was extended to all men in France - and 51 years after New Zealand offered the vote to its women
Four types of words that English adopted from French Try looking up the etymology of English words and you will find that a lot originate from old French
Why you won’t be hearing church bells much in France for a few days A trip to Rome, a visit to the Vatican, and lots of chocolate eggs: Where the bells go at Easter PHOTOS: High tides make Mont Saint-Michel an island again SEE: Astonishingly accurate 12th century map of Normandy Five legacies of the Revolution that affect France today
US veteran, 100, to marry in Normandy on 80th commemoration of D-Day The man, who participated in the 1944 landings, says ‘positivity and love’ are the secrets to his longevity Five famous people who sought exile in France How French medieval craftsmen made the stained glass windows of Troyes Must I take a course to become a tour guide in France? SEE: The medieval 'bastide' villages of south-west France US president Thomas Jefferson’s French wine tour has lasting legacy
Versailles turns 400: humble hunting lodge to iconic symbol of France Today’s Château de Versailles is a shrine to opulence but the palace has fallen into disrepair in the past - and been saved several times
Marguerite Durand: the force of France’s first feminist journalist The 19th-century former actress founded a daily newspaper written and produced entirely by women
French Palaeolithic cave art shows deep human connection with animals Nature watcher Jonathan Kemp goes underground to marvel at the bison, deer and aurochs drawn 14,000 years ago
PHOTOS: World War One frontline bunker for sale in the Somme The partially-buried bunker saw action during numerous battles until the end of the war
Napoleon, an ‘irritable little tyrant’? Not to us French people The leader remains a central figure and unified France during one of its most fraught periods, say two experts, as a new blockbuster film about him divides critics
Grandson of war hero Charles de Gaulle wants Russian citizenship Grandson of war hero Charles de Gaulle wants Russian citizenship
How 32 elite architects protect France’s historic monuments We speak to one of the architects about the gruelling recruitment process and the constant compromise between past and future
French sailors’ love letters in UK reveal messages 265 years on The letters, which were never read by their intended recipients, offer rare insights into ‘normal’ 18th century people in France
President opens 'first-ever’ centre dedicated to French language The chateau where François I ruled that French, not Latin, should be used has been renovated to celebrate the fun and vitality of the language
Is ‘de’ a sign of being from a ‘posh’ or noble French family? There is often thought to be a certain cachet to having a so-called ‘particule’
Princely French residence saved by Englishmen Charlotte Vignon introduces a new book charting the history of Château de Bagatelle, Parisian getaway villa of kings and royal family members
Art historian’s guide to walking the Chemin de Compostela from France Medieval art historian Dr Julia Faiers walks in the shoes of a pilgrim to discover the sacred art and monuments along the Chemin de Compostelle
7 places to visit in France for free with this weekend’s Heritage Days We list some sites that are not yet full for reservations - but be quick
Teachers baffled by Macron’s plan to ‘teach history chronologically’ ‘We’re a bit mystified’: Teachers respond to the president’s comments saying this is already the case
Nuts about Châtaignes: The history of French chestnuts An exploration of the history of chestnuts in remote rural areas of France
Excavations begin at suspected site of WWII executions in France A former resistance fighter recently told how around 50 German soldiers were executed and buried at the location
Why do the French say Pékin, not Beijing? There are several examples in French of place names which have long since been replaced by alternative versions in the English language
Beethoven's ‘skull parts’, found in France, returned to Austria The bone fragments will now be studied in a bid to shed light on the composer’s multiple health conditions
Belle Epoque Paris lavatory is restored as tourist attraction We look at the history of France’s first public toilet and the social commentary behind the capital’s ‘pissoirs’
The Paris suburb housing estate that is like no other in France Merlan was developed by international architects after World War Two to provide affordable housing to families dispossessed by bombing
Explore the sites to see the legacy of France’s glorious Roman past We ask ‘what have the Romans ever done for us?’ and discover the answer is ‘quite a lot, actually’, as the sites, museums, roads and villas dotted all over the country reveal
Families launch appeal to save French WW2 massacre ruins The ruins at Oradour-sur-Glane have been maintained as a permanent memorial to the hundreds of civilians killed during its destruction by Nazi soldiers in 1944
Utopian living runs in the family in French village of Fontaine-Daniel We discover how workers’ rights and social harmony have been promoted for more than a century at a former cotton mill in the Mayenne village of Fontaine-Daniel
Centre yourself in the wine-making, historical heart of France We explore the central department of Cher, where visitors can step back in time in the medieval city of Bourges, mess about in boats, or sample some world-famous wine
Go west: why the wealthy shun the east of town in France Learn the historical and industrial factors behind the geographic divide between the rich and poor in French towns
Unveiling the history of rugby in La Rochelle Discover the inspiring history of Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle - a stadium that symbolises resilience
US veteran and social media star, 100, in France for D-Day anniversary Jake Larson has found fame on TikTok recounting his experiences as a soldier in the first wave of US troops to land on Omaha Beach in 1944
Free exhibition explores period before and after the French Revolution From a largely unseen portrait of Marie-Antoinette to Louis XVI’s diary entries, the showcase has plenty of treats
Celebrate haggis, whisky, and the Auld Alliance in France Discover the ancient friendship between Scotland and France lives on through a host of festivals in the Hexagon, with traditional music, games, and men in kilts
More than 800 cousins from same French family gather for a party A French couple’s dying wishes began the tradition in 1898
‘Old French house bricks have a character that is unique’ Bricks tell a story and can help date parts of your property, says Nick Inman
The remarkable WWII story of a British secret agent in occupied France Lilian Rolfe (1914-1945) will get further recognition in Paris on Friday for her role in freeing France from Nazi Germany
Did you know? Lille installed France’s first street heating system The 1954 experiment was prompted by a severely cold winter that killed many and led Emmaüs founder, Abbé Pierre, to appeal for help
Bellegarde dig shows France’s evolving approach to archaeology The discovery of 20,000 BC artefacts highlights how the treatment of archaeological sites has changed
President Macron pays tribute to Resistance leader Jean Moulin The president is going to the prison where the well-known French hero was tortured
Marseille was early ‘Resistance capital’ as new series shows The Connexion speaks to a leading expert on wartime in the southern port city about what he thinks Netflix got right and wrong
Has a longstanding mystery at Mont-Saint-Michel finally been solved? A rock at the popular tourist site has been stumping experts for years. But now a German archaeologist thinks he has solved the puzzle
What are the origins of France’s saucepan-banging protests? Historians say they evolved from a mediaeval ritual but their political use dates back to the 19th century
What is the origin of France’s motto ‘Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité’? We look at the history of this phrase and the extent to which it is linked to the French Revolution
Coffin of ancient Egypt’s ‘greatest king’ goes on display in Paris An exhibition featuring the sarcophagus of Ramses II opens in the French capital on Friday (April 7)
Medieval murder and turbulent history of Burgundy’s Semur-en-Auxois Stone walls, towers and sculpture tell the tale of this monastic town if you know where to look
The only six women in history to be ‘reburied’ in the French Panthéon We celebrate the women deemed worthy to lie in Paris’s special ‘hall of fame’
Metal detectorists in France reject ‘looter’ label in French crackdown It is illegal to use a metal detector without permission from the prefecture or risk seven years in prison for pillaging heritage
Last survivor of French war massacre village Oradour-sur-Glane dies Robert Hébras, 97, was one of only six survivors. He was shot but managed to escape by crawling out of a pile of corpses ready to be burnt to hide in a stable
Fungus attack repairs on historic French ship need further €6.5million Fundraising has started to save a replica of the 18th-century frigate L’Hermione that fought the British in the American War of Independence
Five French civil wars - from Charlemagne to the Paris Commune We look at five of the most important conflicts fought on French territory
Did you know? Football fans have French to thank for World Cup How two Frenchmen founded one of the most popular sports competitions in the world
Rescued French tram sheds light on Lyon’s transport history Built by an American firm before being shipped to Lyon in 1898, the electric tram (which had first-class and second-class carriages) gave residents greater mobility
How the Revolution gave France a head for heritage conservation Today, France leads the way in looking after old buildings and sites, but it is largely due to the country’s tumultuous past
This month in history – December 10, 50 and 100 years ago in France We look back at important events that happened in December 2012, 1972 and 1922
How a French watchmaker became the father of modern stage magic France is seen as the birthplace of conjuring thanks to a 19th century watchmaker from Blois
Explore France’s fortified city that repels invaders but not tourists The Hautes-Alpes outpost of Briançon, which overlooks five valleys, is now a Unesco World Heritage Site
Toulouse’s medieval myth, poet and muse, Clémence Isaure We explore the fantastical story of the Floral Games and its legendary benefactor
History of casinos in France: How Napoleon started a gambling boom When Napoleon legalised spa town casinos in 1806, he paved the way for a thriving industry today
Poppy Lady of France recognised with a new biography in English Anna Guérin, the Frenchwoman behind the Poppy Appeal, is largely unknown but a new book aims to redress that and show why the campaigner was such a trailblazer
Incredible journey of France’s first giraffe Zarafa generated ‘giraffemania’ in France, leading to many giraffe-based artistic outpourings which continued to recent times
This month in history – November 10, 50 and 100 years ago in France We look back at important events that happened in November 2012, 1972 and 1922
Five famous historical French figures who were exiled to Britain Some loved it, some hated it, we share the stories of five exiles who fled across the Channel
Why chrysanthemums are the French ‘flower of the dead’ As the festival of Toussaint and honouring the dead approaches, the chrysanthemum flower spikes in popularity. But why is this flower the French symbol of the dead?
Last surviving French resistance fighter deported in WW2 dies aged 96 Jacques Bergez was deported to Buchenwald aged 18 in 1944 after being held in the French transit camp Royallieu in Compiègne