Laon

Laon is a city and French commune, located in the department of Aisne, in the region of Upper France.

This historically important city has many medieval buildings, including the famous Laon Cathedral. With the historic fortified old town on a table mountain Laon has the largest contiguous listed area in France.
Fortified town on a plateau, enjoying the largest protected area of France (370 hectares) 2,3,4, Laon has many medieval monuments, mansions and houses of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in large numbers, especially in the streets Serurier, Saint-Jean, Saint-Cyr or Vinchon, real urban museums.

Its basement is crisscrossed with undergrounds, quarries and wells whose preservation is one of the current heritage issues. Located at its summit, its cathedral has earned it the nickname “Crowned Mountain”.
In evoking the city in a letter to his wife Adele, Victor Hugo wrote that: “Everything is beautiful in Laon, the churches, the houses, the surroundings, everything …

Access : Coordinates: 49.5639, 3.6244 / Laon is easily accessible by the N2 Paris-Brussels, and the A26 exit 13. By train, from Laon station, 4 lines converge: Paris and Soissons, Tergnier (Saint-Quentin, Amiens), of Reims, and Hirson.

Highlights :

•  the old center of Laon  : Laon is classified city of art and history. This is fully justified by the number of buildings and remarkable sites in the town, especially on the Montagne de Laon. She is nicknamed The Crowned Mountain. In 2008, there are 68 listed buildings in the Register of Historic Monuments.
•  Notre Dame Cathedral: The Cathedral of Laon is one of the most important early Gothic cathedrals in France. The far-reaching influence of their architecture is not only detectable in English Gothic, but also at the Limburg, Bamberger and Naumburg Cathedral.four towers, bell towers or bell towers which Villard de Honnecourt said were “the most beautiful in the world”
•  The Templar Chapel, rue Georges Ermant. Templars, also dates from the twelfth century (in 1145, a bull of Pope Innocent II granted the Temple disciples the right to build their own chapels). Unusually, it has an octagonal nave and a “comb” bell tower. It is located in the grounds of the municipal museum of Laon, the museum of art and archeology. / The Episcopal Palace is located immediately north of the cathedral.
•  St. Vincent de Laon Abbey, rue Alphonse Juin / The church of Saint-Martin-au-Parvis, Place du Parvis Gaultier Mortagne. / The church of Saint-Pierre-es-Links, rue Richebourg of Ardon-sous-Laon./ The old Saint-Pierre-au-Marche church in Laon, rue Saint-Pierre Market. / The Grand Seminaire, 9 rue Saint-Pierre Market / The Town Hall, built in 1836-1838 on the site of the old tower called Louis d’Outremer.
•  Porte d, Porte des Cheminzelles and Porte de Soissons : Racetrack on the former military airfield Laon-Couvron / Saint-Jean de Laon Abbey, rue Paul Doumer / Notre-Dame Church and Saint-Eloi, Place de Leuilly / The Chapel of the General Hospital of Laon, 32 rue du Treize Octobre / Bousson German War Cemetery. / German Military Cemetery Field of Maneuver./ Gate of Bouvelle Court, Rue Serurier, Laon
•  The old Hotel-Dieu de Laon from the 12th century, the oldest surviving hospital in France  In addition to the basement for pilgrims and poor, in the 50 beds of the main hall upstairs also sick were provided / The Chapel of the General Hospital of Laon, 32 rue du Treize Octobre / The ramparts of Laon is a fortified enclosure that protected the upper town of Laon.
•  former bishop’s, today law palace next to the cathedral / The hotel-Dieu, place Aubry, dates from the second half of the twelfth century. / Saint-Marcel Church, rue Leon Nanquette / The old church Saint-Corneille-et-Saint-Cyprien, 9 rue Georges Ermant. / The priory of Val-des-Ecoliers, 40 rue Vinchon / Priory of Val-des-Ecoliers , The former chapel of Val-des-Ecoliers de Laon, in the French department of Aisne, dates from the seventeenth and seventeenth centuries.
•  Funicular : This “automatic funicular system”, with a height difference of 98 m, connected the city hall (upper town) to the station of Laon (lower town) on a path of about 1.5 km, passing through the intermediate station from Vaux. It took its name from the company that designed and subsidiary Pomagalski (a company created by Jean Pomagalski, specializing in cable transportation – including ski lifts ski resorts)
•  Episcopal Palace of Laon. Listed as a historic monument since 1850, it is now the city’s high court. The large room of the bishop’s palace (now the court room of the assize court) has remarkable decorated capitals, and includes three turrets on the ramparts and an arcade gallery on the courtyard side. Two superimposed chapels date from the second half of the twelfth century.
• The abbey church Saint-Martin, place Sister Marie Catherine, of the order Premonstratensians, built at the same time as the cathedral. Its facade dates from around 1270. The abbey, founded in 1124, saw its abbey dwelling of 1620 transformed into a hotel-Dieu after the Revolution. / Citadelle de Laon / Musee Automobile – Automotive Museum , 25 rue Ampere, 02000 Laon /
•  Museum of Art and Archeology of Laon : The museum of art and archeology of Laon is the main museum of the city. Created in 1861, it is installed since 1891 in the former commandery of the Knights Templar whose chapel dates from the twelfth century it has the label museum of France. The museum presents collections of regional and Mediterranean archeology as well as fine art collections.

Activities : Explore Laon / Climb the cathedral tower. / Walk in the medieval city / sightseeing / photo opportunities

Go next : Villages, around Laon: Bruyeres, Nouvion le Vineux, Presles, Urcel / Bourgignon , village of the LeNain brothers / the village of Chamouille / the village of Craonne / the town of Soissons