Place du marché au pain – Bread Market Square

We’re now standing on what was once the historic site of the Champagne Fairs, known in the Middle Ages as the Money Exchange Square. Back then, there were no supermarkets stocked with goods from every corner of the globe, but there were massive fairs where merchants from all over Europe came to trade. Since each trader brought their own currency—and Troyes only accepted either the local accounting currency or the king’s coinage—the profession of money changer emerged. These early currency exchange specialists worked similarly to their modern counterparts. With their scales in hand, they would weigh each coin to determine its exact precious metal content before exchanging it for the local equivalent, naturally with a small fee. These fees played a big part in making the city wealthy. By the 14th century, the fairs gradually disappeared, and the square became a herb market. Later, it was taken over by bakers and eventually became the bread market square we know today.