France: Provins

Provins is a stunning medieval town that has an absolutely perfectly preserved defensive walls and tower, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ramparts of Provins feature 22 towers of various shapes- round, rectangular, octagonal, hexagonal, and trapezoidal – all constructed between 1226 and 1314. At its peak in the 12-13th centuries, Provins was one of Europe’s largest and wealthiest cities, with up to 80,000 residents. it even minted its own currency – denier provinois – which was widely accepted across Europe, well beyond France. It was a major center of trade in wool and textiles and biannual Champagne Fairs were held here. It’s gets interesting from here – king Philip IV imposed major tarrifs and taxes on all the participants in the fairs. In just a few years, the trade fairs and the city’s economy collapsed, traders and residents fled to other locations and city fell into decline. That’s what tariffs do!