Langres () is a commune in northeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

of the department of

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 areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

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 It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...

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 is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

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 ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

s. The first-century Triumphal Gate and the many artefacts exhibited in the museums are remnants of the town's

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

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

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

, the

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...

, and

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

, 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 The Diocese of Langres (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lingonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Langres'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church comprising the '' département'' of Haute-Marne in France. The diocese is now a suffragan in ecclesias ...

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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, 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 such as curtain walls with t ...

s with a dozen towers and seven gates. The cathedral of Saint-Mammès is a late 12th-century structure dedicated to

Mammes of Caesarea Saint Mammes of Caesarea (Mamas, Mammas, Mammet, Mema; ; ; ; ; ) was a child-martyr of the 3rd century, who was martyred at Caesarea (Mazaca) , Caesarea. His parents, Theodotus and Rufina, were also martyred. Life Born in prison to parents ...

, a 3rd-century martyr.

Culture

Langres is home to producers of an AOC-protected

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range 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 prod ...

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 Encyclopédistes, encyclopedist, author, philosopher of Age of Enlightenment, enlightenment Denis Diderot. Biography Didier Diderot ...

, father of encyclopedist Denis, was a cutler. A museum called the Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment 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 along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...

Population

Notable people

Langres was the birthplace of: * Nicolas Ribonnier (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 hos ...

(1606–1673), the co-founder of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

* Claude Gillot (1673–1722),

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

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

Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...

''. * Étienne Jean Bouchu (1714–1773), metallurgist and Encyclopédiste * Nicolas Fallet (1746–1801), playwright and journalist * Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (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 cau ...

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 ...

Guy Fréquelin Guy Fréquelin (born 2 April 1945 at Langres) is a French former rallying, rally and sports car driver. Biography Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt ...

(born 1945), rally driver * 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 or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

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 cold ...

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 parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

- since 1995 * Ellwangen,

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 1964 * Abbiategrasso,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

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)