Troyes City Hall

You’re now standing at a crossroads between wood and stone—with traditional half-timbered houses to your left and a beautiful row of 19th-century bourgeois buildings to your right. But take a moment to look at the façade of the City Hall. Above the entrance, you’ll see a rare inscription: the full motto of the First French Republic—“Unity, Indivisibility of the Republic, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death.” Very few buildings in France still display it in its entirety. This was the kind of message painted on town hall pediments during the Paris Commune, when fighting for freedom often meant risking your life. Another famous revolutionary slogan said it even more bluntly: “Live free or die.” Over time, the French motto was shortened and eventually replaced under the Vichy regime with “Work, Family, Homeland.” But here in Troyes—a city deeply rooted in history—this powerful reminder of the Revolution remains untouched. And on a completely different note, did you know that Neptun’s rings are named Liberty, Equality 1, Equality 2, Fraternity, and Courage? Human rights might not be upheld everywhere on Earth, but at least they’ve made it into space!