The Office of Tourism of Chartres, situated in the beautiful and historic city about 90 kilometers from Paris, refers to their murals as frescoes. However, since frescoes in France are usually old and rich with history, it’s more fitting to call them the mural works of Bel Air.
The Municipality and Habitat Office of Chartres partnered with the cooperative muralists Cité Création, who have created over 580 murals worldwide. Their goal was to beautify four major buildings in the Bel Air neighborhood with large, impressive murals.
These murals cover more than 4,000 square meters, transforming dull, peeling paint and gray cement into vibrant scenes of rural life. They depict windmills, harvests, stables with cows and chickens, intricate mazes, rivers with ducks, and typical village facades found in small French towns.
The mural-adorned buildings are located north of Chartres’ town center, just beyond the airport. It’s easy to get there by car, taking about 10 minutes from the center of town.