Langres

Langres stands on a limestone promontory above the Marne valley and keeps a complete circuit of ramparts, about three and a half kilometres with a dozen towers and seven gates, which can be walked right round in a little over an hour with the plateau falling away on every side. The Romans fortified it first and a Gallo-Roman gate survives inside the later walls. Denis Diderot, editor of the Encyclopedie, was born here in 1713, and a museum in the town covers the Enlightenment and his life. A funicular-style lift carries visitors up from the lower town, and the plateau below holds four lakes.

History

Langres was the capital of the Lingones, a Romanised Gallic people, and its name passed from Andematunnum to Lingones and then Langres; the Romans fortified the promontory at a crossroads of twelve roads, and the first-century triumphal gate survives. In the Middle Ages the town prospered with the growing power of its bishops, whose diocese reached over Champagne, the Duchy of Burgundy and Franche-Comté: they gained the right to mint coins in the ninth century and to name the town's military governor in 927, and the Bishop of Langres was a duke and peer of France. The troubled 14th and 15th centuries led the town to strengthen the walls that still give it its fortified look, the Renaissance brought new prosperity and many fine buildings, and a citadel was added in the 19th century (Wikipedia, Langres).

Highlights

• The full rampart circuit - three and a half kilometres of walls walkable throughout.
• The Gallo-Roman gate - a Roman arch embedded in the later defences.
• The Diderot museum - the Enlightenment editor's town and life.
• The plateau views - the Marne valley and, on clear days, the Vosges.

When to go

April to October; the wall walk is exposed and cold in winter wind. Clear days give the long views that justify the climb. The town is quiet outside summer.

Practical notes

The town within the walls is small and rather sleepy, with limited eating options. The wall walk has no shade. The lower town and station are a steep drop below.

Nearby

Dijon lies southwest; Troyes is northwest.

Key facts