Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the

Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

département, of which it is the capital. The department is in

Grand Est Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...

in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, shut in by wooded or

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

-clad hills, and is traversed by the Ornain, which is crossed by several bridges. It is bordered on the north-east by the Marne–Rhine Canal and on the south-west by a small arm of the Ornain called the ''Canal des Usines'', on the left bank of which the upper town (''Ville Haute'') is situated. The highly rarefied Bar-le-duc jelly, also known as Lorraine jelly, is a spreadable preparation of white currant or red currant fruit preserves. First mentioned in the historical record in 1344, it is also colloquially referred to as "Bar caviar".

History

Bar-le-Duc was at one time the seat of the county, from 1354 the Duchy of Bar. Though probably of ancient origin, the town was unimportant until the 10th century when it was fortified by Frederick I of Upper Lorraine. Bar was an independent duchy from 1354 to 1480, when it was acquired by

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire which existed from the 10th century until 1766 when it was annexed by the kingdom of France. It gave its name to the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France ...

. The ''Ville Haute'', which is reached by steps and steep narrow thoroughfares, is intersected by a long, quiet street, bordered by houses of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. In this quarter are the remains (16th-century) of the château of the dukes of Bar, dismantled in 1670, the old clock-tower and the college, built in the latter half of the 16th century. The church of Saint-Étienne (constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries) contains the

Cadaver Tomb of René of Chalon The Cadaver Tomb of René of Chalon (, also known as the Memorial to the Heart of René de Chalon or ''The Skeleton'') is a Gothic art, late Gothic period cadaver monument (''transi'') in the church of Saint-Étienne at Bar-le-Duc, in northeast ...

, a skilfully carved effigy in white stone of a half-decayed corpse. It was erected to the memory of René of Châlon (died 1544) and is the work of 16th-century artist Ligier Richier, a pupil of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

. The lower town contains the official buildings and the churches of Notre-Dame, the most ancient in the town, and St Antony, with 14th-century frescoes. Among the statues of distinguished natives of the town is one of Nicolas Oudinot, whose house serves as the '' hôtel-de-ville''. Other sights include Notre-Dame Bridge, with five arches surmounted by a chapel in the middle. Bar-le-Duc served as the assembly point for essential supplies going to the besieged city of

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

during the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

in 1916. Thousands of trucks, carrying men, equipment and food, travelled north, around the clock, on the road linking Bar-le-Duc to Verdun. The route was given the name Voie Sacrée (Sacred Way) by the writer and politician Maurice Barres in April 1916, a reference to the ancient Roman '' Sacra Via'', leading to triumph.

Population

Notable residents

Bar-le-Duc was the birthplace of: * Jean de Lorraine (1498–1550), Cardinal de Lorraine, Bishop of Metz, Archbishop of Narbonne * Mary of Guise (1515–1560),

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and mother of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

* Francis, Duke of Guise (1519–1563), soldier and politician * Louis Joblot (1645–1723), mathematician and microscopist * Nicolas Oudinot (1767–1847),

marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

* Jean-Joseph Regnault-Warin (1773–1844), writer, pamphleteer * Rémi Joseph Isidore Exelmans (1775–1852),

* Pierre Michaux (1813–1883) inventor * Edmond Laguerre (1834–1886), mathematician *

Albert Cim Albert-Antoine Cimochowski, called Albert Cim, (22 October 1845 – 8 May 1924) was a French novelist, literary critic and bibliographer. Biography Born to a French mother and a Polish officer who fled to France after the 1830 November Uprising ...

(1845–1924), novelist, literary critic and bibliographer *

Henri Poincaré Jules Henri Poincaré (, ; ; 29 April 185417 July 1912) was a French mathematician, Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philosophy of science, philosopher of science. He is often described as a polymath, and in mathemati ...

(1854–1912), mathematician and physicist * Job (1858–1931), illustrator * Raymond Poincaré (1860–1934), statesman * Pierre de Bréville (1861–1944), composer * Lucien Poincaré (1862–1920), physicist * Pierre Camonin (1903–2003), canon and organist * Jean Dries (1905–1973), painter * Michel Bernard (born 1958), writer and senior official * Anaïs Delva (born 1986), singer and actress * Benjamin Compaoré (born 1987), athlete Other notable residents were: * Jean-François Jacqueminot (1787–1865), who established a great silk factory * Ernest Bradfer (1833–1882), who established a major iron works in the town.

Gallery

Bar-le-Duc Place Saint-Pierre.jpg, Saint-Étienne Church and the court house (right) on Saint-Pierre Square in Bar-le-Duc Pont Notre-Dame, Bar-le-Duc 01 09.jpg, Notre-Dame Bridge over the Ornain Statue d'Ernest Bradfer.JPG, Statue of Ernest Bradfer (1833–1882)

Twin cities

As of 2023 Bar-le-Duc is twinned with: * Griesheim (

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

) since 1978 * Wilkau-Haßlau (Germany) since 1994 * Gyönk (

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

) since 1995 Cultural exchanges are made throughout the year and the twinning committee also offers German lessons.

References

External links

Official Bar-le-Duc website

Barleduc55.net: photos of Bar-le-Duc
{{Authority control Communes of Meuse (department) Prefectures in France Duchy of Bar