As early as the XIth century, Robert the Pious, son of Hugh Capet, chose Etampes with his wife to be a regular place to stay.
In the XIIth century the Saint-Gilles commercial quarter was established between the Saint-Martin quarter and the centre of the town at the instigation of Louis VI, Louis the Fat. Not far away were the fast-flowing Etampes and Près streams, controlled by a system of fortified sluices unlike any other in France. Along these streams there are former flour, tanning and fulling mills. 
In the XVIth century, François I raised the County of Etampes to the status of Duchy and awarded his favourite, Anne de Pisseleu, the title of Duchess of Etampes. Henri II bestowed the same title on his favourite, Diane de Poitiers. Etampes retains their names as those of two mansions in the centre of the town.
Etampes has always been a dynamic town with a strong cultural life, and was home to numerous figures in the worlds of literature and the arts and sciences such as Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire the great naturalist and zoologist, Elias Robert the nationally renowned sculptor, Louise Abbéma the portrait artist and friend of Sarah Bernhardt and the orientalist Narcisse Berchère, friend of Gustave Moreau.
Stroll through the historic town centre and discover the many private Renaissance mansions bearing the names of Anne-de-Pisseleu, Diane-de-Poitiers and Saint-Yon exemplifying the various Italian influences on the French Renaissance.
Etampes boasts a rich and diverse medieval religious heritage. Visit the collegiate church of Notre-Dame-du-Fort and the church of Saint-Basile, both founded by Robert the Pious, and the churches of Saint-Gilles and Saint-Martin. The Chapelle de Guinette provides a fine example of 1960s architecture.
The Italianate theatre, built in 1852 by public subscription is the work of the young architect Gabriel Davioud. Admire its façade, restored in 1928 on the basis of plans by Boileau.
The Pergola de la Douce France, a folly erected on the initiative of Emmanuel de Thubert for the 1925 Exhibition of the Decorative Arts in Paris, is a collective work by artists who wished to reinstate the technique of stone-carving and at the same time recall the legends of the Celtic past.
Round off your walk with a visit to the Musée Intercommunal d'Etampes set up in 1874 thanks to a donation by the widow of the neo-Classical sculptor Elias Robert. Discover fossils from the Stampian period, Gallo-Roman and medieval ceramics and the museum's exceptionally fine collection of XIXth century paintings. - Place de l'Hôtel de Ville et des Droits de l'Homme - Tel: 01.69.92.69.12