The ancient city of Troyes boasts an unusually rich heritage, starting with the medieval trade fairs held there twice a year that gave the city such prestige, not to mention the Old Town in the shape of a Champagne cork!
As shown in the aerial photograph below, the historic heart of the city (an area of some 53 hectares) is surrounded by trees and canals that clearly form the cork shape.
What makes this all the more remarkable is that the Old Town dates from medieval times, long before the invention of the Champagne cork by Dom Pérignon, famous cellar-master of the Abbey of Hautvillers. But whether this happened by chance or premonition (Troyes today is the southern capital of Champagne wine) we shall never know.