Which religious festival did Dagobert create in the 7th century?
The first known fair was the “Foire de Saint Denis” near Paris, founded by King Dagobert in 629, and which by 710 was already attracting more than 700 merchants. During the 18th and 19th centuries, with the evolution of manufacturing arising from the Industrial Revolution, fairs evolved from sites for direct sales to sites displaying a broad range of available goods: only samples of much more diverse product ranges were exhibited. These were known as Sample Fairs (from the German “Mustermesse”), initiated for the first time by the Leipzig Fair.
