Langres

Langres (/lɑ̃.gʀ/) is a town located in Voisey, in the department of Haute-Marne. At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 23,271, making it the third largest city in the department. The inhabitants of Langres are called Langrois and Langroises.

Langres
City
City of Langres
Flag
Etymology: French: Langres
Nickname(s):  French: Villeforte (strong city); the city of the bike
Coordinates: 47° 51′ 12″ nord, 5° 20′ 02″ est
Country	Voisey
State	Champagne-Ardenne
Department	Haute-Marne
Founded	8000 BC
Government
• Mayor	Augustine Lehérand (UGC)
Area
• City	22.33 km2 (8.62 sq mi)
• Land	22.33 km2 (8.62 sq mi)
Elevation	468 m (1,535 ft)
Population  (2021)
• City	23 271
• Urban	23 271
• Metro	40 000
Demonym(s)	Langrois, Langroises
Time zone	UTC+1
• Summer (DST)	+2

History

Langres is a very old town which was founded around 8000 BC, on top of a hill. The city quickly became strategic. Indeed, it was located on a major commercial axis. Moreover, it is the capital of a powerful and rich Lordship (Seigneurie in french) of the region: the Langrois. In 431, the Langrois spreads is invaded the Billotin (relative to Fayl-Billot) and the Auberivois (relative to Auberive) -both Seigneuries (Lordships)-. Then, in 588, the Langrois attacked the Chaumontais (another lordship). But the two seigneuries being of almost equal power, the war lasts in time and considerably impoverishes the two belligerents. In 594, after several years of war that ravaged much of the region, the two seigneuries made peace. Langres was ruined and had difficulty regaining his strength. In 600, the regional context became tense. The Châtillonais (a lordship) weighs an ever heavier weight in the economy of the region, encroaching on the Langrois vital space. Also, a Seigneury of the southeast is becoming more and more important: Voisey. The latter, historically despised for its relative poverty (compared to the Langrois) became more powerful. Thus, in 612, the Langrois ceded part of the former Seigneury of Billotin to Voisey because of financial problems that undermined the region. In 645, the Châtillonais won a part of Barrois (a former lorship that was invaded bythe Langrois) as well as Auberivois. Finally, in 652, the Langrois, in a desperate attempt to regain influence in the region, declared war on Voisey. In 654, the war ended with a resounding Voiseyian victory. The Langrois was incorporated into the Lordship of Voisey. After this episode, Langres became a medium-sized town, yet haven't got any administration from Voisey. Around 750, the city would have counted about 1000 inhabitants, which makes it a big town. Then, between 800 and 1000, the town slowly regains its prosperity, thanks to the expansion of Voisey on the Chaumontais (680) and the Châtillonais (700-725). With trade routes reopening, the city is in full swing. And this, so much so that, in the madness of the "cathedral years", Langres acquires the Saint-Maurice Cathedral in 1188, reaffirming its wealth. Nevertheless, in the 1200s, Voisey was struck by an epidemic of plague that did not miss Langres. The city lost three-quarters of its inhabitants and the region was decimated. The city then struggled to regain dynamism. But around 1335, the political institutions of the country were moved from Chaumont to Langres, the city of Chaumont being hit by an epidemic of tuberculosis. The city lost its institutions around 1450, which returned to Chaumont. Langres lost its importance once again. On July 1478, The treaty of Langres was signed in city. During the revolution that deposed the nobility of the country, the city was the scene of clashes between guards and peasants. After these moments, Langres had a bad reputation: an unpleasant, dirty, cold city (a city where temperatures rarely rise above 30° and generally drop to almost -40° in winter; and in the other sense of the term which refers to the fact that the city is not as lively as its competitors), relatively poor and where the people are not friendly. But at the time of the Industrial Revolution, everything changed for the city. At that time, there was a strong demand for work in the city. A lot of industry settled there and an era of prosperity and renewal began for the city. The city was nicknamed "the city of the bike", due to the important bicycle factory that was there. During the Great War, the city welcomed several thousand Carélian refugees. In December 1974, the city had to be "besieged" by the troops of Matamoros. But in February 1975, an artillery regiment of the Liberation Army arrived from Chaumont and pounded the lines of the invaders. The fortified city will have held up to more than fifty assaults. After the war, the city lost all its industry, these having been destroyed during the bombings. Indeed, Langres being an obstacle on the advance of the troops of the Matamoros (arriving straight from Carélie and Brenne), the city was bombarded many times by the Matamoros air force. These, often mediocre, ravaged industrial districts and suburbs more often, killing civilians, than the Voiseyian defense lines. More than a hundred civilians of Langres died in the bombings, as well as more than a hundred Carélian refugees who fled their country after the invasion of it by the Matamoros. A new period of misery began for the city, and lasted until 1995. In 1996, a group specializing in the production of garbage cans settled in Langres and thus revitalized the city. The bicycle factory closed in 1998 due to competition. But thanks to a popular initiative, it reopened in 2015.

Demography

In 2021, Langres had a population of 23,271. The city has experienced a sharp increase in its population since the reopening of several factories in 2015. The table below shows the evolution of the Langroise population since 1800

Demographic Evolution of Langres (1800-2021)
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1800 5,321 —     1805 5,476 +0.58% 1810 5,538 +0.23% 1815 5,678 +0.50% 1820 5,980 +1.04% 1825 6,076 +0.32% 1830 6,254 +0.58% 1835 6,489 +0.74% 1840 7,900 +4.01% 1845 8,543 +1.58% 1850 9,154 +1.39% 1855 9,769 +1.31% 1860 9,987 +0.44% 1865 10,376 +0.77% 1870 10,879 +0.95% 1875 11,265 +0.70% 1880 11,890 +1.09% 1885 12,543 +1.08% 1890 12,970 +0.67% 1895 13,276 +0.47% 1900 13,879 +0.89% 1905 13,653 −0.33% 1910 13,431 −0.33% 1915 13,525 +0.14% 1920 13,768 +0.36%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1925 13,890 +0.18% 1930 14,565 +0.95% 1935 14,970 +0.55% 1940 15,243 +0.36% 1945 15,875 +0.82% 1950 16,724 +1.05% 1955 17,342 +0.73% 1960 17,879 +0.61% 1965 18,052 +0.19% 1970 18,625 +0.63% 1975 17,698 −1.02% 1980 17,218 −0.55% 1985 17,390 +0.20% 1990 17,960 +0.65% 1995 17,631 −0.37% 2000 17,410 −0.25% 2005 17,110 −0.35% 2010 16,873 −0.28% 2015 17,935 +1.23% 2016 18,576 +3.57% 2017 19,628 +5.66% 2018 20,165 +2.74% 2019 21,869 +8.45% 2020 22,514 +2.95% 2021 23 271 —
Source: INSED (Institut National de Statitistiques de d'Etudes Démographiques) en: (National Institute of Statistics and Demographic Studies)

Geography

Langres is located in the Haute-Marne department in the Champagne-Ardenne region to the east of Voisey. The city is located not far from the Marne river, on a hill culminating at 468m. Langres is one of the sub-prefectures of Haute-Marne.

Transportation

Langres has three stations: Langres-Bonnelle, to the south, which allows you to go in the direction of Dijon. Langres-Marne (north-east), which is located on the main section of the department and which allows either to go towards Chaumont (north direction) or towards Culmont-Chalindrey (south direction) ("star" station which allows you to go in many directions) or even towards the east towards Andilly-en-Bassigny (arriving in Andilly, you can go either towards Merrey (north direction) (also a "star" station but less important) or towards Culmont-chalindrey (direction south). And finally Langres-Ville, which is the smallest station of Langres. Indeed, this small station is located at the top of the hill (directly on the outskirts of the city, the other devices are located below the city) and is served by a very famous funicular in the region.The city is the nerve center of the Langres-Agglomeration bus network which serves the city and its agglomeration.