Chartres is often regarded as the prototype of a Gothic cathedral and exemplary for subsequent buildings. Perhaps also because the cathedral was never destroyed and rebuilt, the architecture and decoration were almost unchanged since the 13th century.

The characteristic features of the exterior are the abundantly decorated portals of three façades and the two different towers. Despite the asymmetry, the façade looks very elegant and harmonious. The slender spires strengthen the impression of the immense height, everything seems striving to heaven.

The visit of the interior left me with ambivalent feelings. The renovation is still ongoing, about half of the walls has already been cleaned. Currently (August 2015), the interior is a strange mix of dark gray and bright yellow and white sections. The photo gives an idea of the before-and-after. The aim is that the interior appears again as it supposedly was in the 13th century. "The rediscovery of the brightness" is the motto. Today we are used to the darkness in medieval cathedrals, which contributes to the awe-inspiring and mystical atmosphere. More brightness and more light is not a bad idea, but in Chartres they overshoot the mark in my opinion. Why should a medieval cathedral look like 800 years ago? But to be fair, I should wait with a final assessment until the renovation is complete to see how the perception of the interior and the effect of the stained glass windows will have changed. Or I have to wait another hundred years until the bright colour has become a bit darker again.

One of the famous sights in Chartres is the labyrinth, it is the original from the 13th century. Usually, the labyrinth seems to be covered with chairs. But I found the information on the official website (only in the French version) that it is open to pilgrims on Fridays. Well, I was skeptical, because I have not found any confirmation, neither here nor on other websites. But it did perfectly fit into our schedule, so we arrived in Chartres on a Friday afternoon. Well, my skepticism was justified, the labyrinth was almost completely covered with chairs, and no one made a move to put them away. We asked a tour guide and the lady in the gift shop, but the answer was a shrug of the shoulders and the weak explanation with the renovation works.