Langres () is a commune in northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is a subprefecture of the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrat ...

History

As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe known as the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres. A hilltop town, Langres was built on a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

promontory of the same name. This stronghold was originally occupied by the Lingones. At a later date the Romans fortified the town, which they called Andemantunum, located at a strategic crossroads of twelve

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

s. The first-century

Triumphal Gate A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...

and the many artefacts exhibited in the museums are remnants of the town's Gallo-Roman history. After the period of invasions, the town prospered in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, due in part to the growing political influence of its bishops. The diocese covered Champagne, the Duchy of Burgundy, and

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

, and the bishops obtained the right to coin money in the ninth century and to name the military governor of the city in 927. The Bishop of Langres was a duke and peer of France. The troubled 14th and 15th centuries caused the town to strengthen its defenses, which still give the old city its fortified character, and Langres entered a period of royal tutelage. The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, which returned prosperity to the town, saw the construction of numerous fine civil, religious and military buildings that still stand today. In the 19th century, a " Vauban" citadel was added.

Main sights

Langres has a historic town center surrounded by

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

s with a dozen towers and seven gates. The cathedral of Saint-Mammès is a late 12th-century structure dedicated to Mammes of Caesarea, a 3rd-century martyr.

Culture

Langres is home to producers of an AOC-protected

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

of the same name. It is a soft, pungent cow's milk cheese that is known for its rind, which is washed. The town was long known for its cutlery industry.

Didier Diderot Didier Diderot (14 September 1685 in Langres – 3 June 1759 ibid) was a French craftsman and the father of the encyclopedist, author, philosopher of enlightenment Denis Diderot. Biography Didier Diderot descended from families of local craf ...

, father of encyclopedist

Denis Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary * Denis the Carthusian (1402–14 ...

, was a cutler. A museum called the

Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment The House of Enlightenment, Denis Diderot or La Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot (MLDD) is a museum dedicated to Denis Diderot, the French philosopher, writer, and art critic, as well as his ''Encyclopédie, Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raison ...

opened in 2013. This museum, set up in a private mansion from the 16th and 18th centuries, is dedicated to the philosopher

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...

Population

Notable people

Langres was the birthplace of: *

Nicolas Ribonnier Nicolas Ribonnier ( 1525 – 1605) was a 16th-century French architect. Biography Ribonnier was probably from Langres but no documents were found to confirm it. A Jean Ribonnier priest of Heuilley-le-Grand has been found. If he was from his famil ...

(ca.1525–1605), Renaissance architect *

Jeanne Mance Jeanne Mance (November 12, 1606 – June 18, 1673) was a French nurse and settler of New France. She arrived in New France two years after the Ursuline nuns came to Quebec. Among the founders of Montreal in 1642, she established its first hospit ...

(1606–1673), the co-founder of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

* Claude Gillot (1673–1722),

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

(1713–1784), the philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, and the editor-in-chief of the '' Encyclopédie''. *

Étienne Jean Bouchu Étienne Jean Bouchu (23 May 1714 – 5 September 1773) was a French ironworks expert and manufacturer. Life Bouchu collaborated to the ''Descriptions des Arts et Métiers'' and to the ''Encyclopédie'' by Diderot for which he wrote the article ...

(1714–1773), metallurgist and Encyclopédiste *

Nicolas Fallet Nicolas Fallet (10 September 1746, in Langres – 22 December 1801, in Paris) was an 18th-century French playwright and journalist. Biography The son of a hatter, Fallet wrote quite a number of forgotten items, some of which were not without m ...

(1746–1801), playwright and journalist *

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (21 October 1804 – 7 December 1892) was a French photographer and drawing, draughtsman who was active in the Middle East. His daguerreotypes are the earliest surviving photographs of Greece, Palestine (region) ...

(1804–1892), photographer and draughtsman * Jules Violle (1841–1923),

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

* Jean Tabourot, who went by the pen name Thoinot Arbeau and wrote ''Orchésographie'', a book on dance and music.

Climate

Located in the north-east quarter of France, Langres is under the influence of both an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

and a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

with no dry season. Winters are cold and snowy (33.4 days of snow per year on average) but interspersed with periods of light thaw and summers are mild and even pleasant with average maximum temperatures around .

International relations

Langres is twinned with: *

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

- since 1995 * Ellwangen,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

- since 1964 * Abbiategrasso,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Gallery

File:Langres entry.jpg, Road sign announcing improvements to the Citadel of Langres File:Langres_-_cathédrale_Saint-Mammès_-_façade_2.jpg, Saint-Mammès Cathedral File:Langres_-_cathédrale_Saint-Mammès_-_2.jpg, Saint-Mammès Cathedral File:Langres_-_cathédrale_Saint-Mammès_-_7.jpg, Saint-Mammès Cathedral File:Langres_-_cathédrale_Saint-Mammès_-_8.jpg, Saint-Mammès Cathedral File:Langres_-_cathédrale_Saint-Mammès_-_cloitre.jpg, Saint-Mammès Cathedral Cloister File:Cloitre.Langres.png, Saint-Mammès Cathedral Cloister File:Langres_-_cathédrale_Saint-Mammès_-_12.jpg, Bas relief at Saint-Mammès Cathedral File:Langres_-_la_porte_des_Moulins_1.jpg, Moulins Gate File:Langres_-_la_porte_des_Moulins_2.jpg, Moulins Gate File:Langres_-_la_porte_des_Moulins_3.jpg, Moulins Gate File:Langres_-_Remparts_2.jpg, Ramparts of the Citadel File:Langres_-_Rempats_et_panoramics.jpg, Ramparts and Funicular File:Langres_-_Tour_Saint-Ferjeux.jpg, Saint-Ferjeux Tower File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_30.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_charpente_2.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower ceiling framework File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_cul_de_lampe.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower torch holder File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_cule_de_lampe2.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower torch holder File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_gargouille.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower gargoyle File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_mur_7_metres.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_niveau_inferieur.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_niveau_intermediaire_2.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_puits.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower well File:Langres_-_tour_de_Navarre_et_d'Orval_-_voute_3_4.jpg, Navarre and d'Orval Tower vaulted arch File:Langres_-_Ancien_collège_Jésuite.jpg, Former Jesuit College File:Langres_-_cave_Maison_Renaissance.jpg, Renaissance cellar File:Ln portehoteldeville 2308.jpg, Entrance to City Hall File:Langres_-_Denis_Diderot.jpg, Statue of Denis Diderot File:Langres_-_Maison_Renaissance_2.jpg, Renaissance period mansion File:Langres_-_maison_renaissance_rue_Saint_Didier.jpg, Renaissance period mansion File:Langres_-_Square_Claude-Henriot_2.jpg, Henriot Square File:Langres_-_église_Saint-Martin_2.jpg, Saint-Martin Church

References

External links

''Catholic Encyclopedia'':
Diocese of Langres
Langres official website
(in French) {{Authority control Communes of Haute-Marne Subprefectures in France Lingones Gallia Lugdunensis Champagne (province)