Chaumont of the Haute-Marne department. The city stands on the river Marne and is situated on the railway linking Paris and Basel, which runs over a 52 m (171 ft) tall and 600 m (2,000 ft) long viaduct built in 1856.

Sights

The Viaduct

Its dimensions (600 m long, 50 arches over a height of 52 m) make it one of the most remarkable works of art of the mid-19th century in Europe, if not in the world. Designed by architect Eugène Decomble, the viaduct was built to allow the railway to reach the upper part of the city. The site was carried out in record time from August 21, 1855 to November 25, 1856. 15 months were enough to install 60,000 m3 of masonry, thanks to 2,500 workers and 300 horses who worked day and night. The commissioning of the viaduct was an economic engine for the capital. 

The dungeon

Built on a natural spur dominating the valley of the Suize, the keep is the only vestige of the castle of the Counts of Champagne, cradle of the city. 19 m high, this square tower has retained its medieval appearance with a wall thickness varying from 2.60 m at the base to 1.50 m at the top. The embossing of the stones in the lower part indicates a late dating: second half of the 12th century. 

The Basilica of Saint John the Baptist

At the heart of the old medieval city, the basilica was erected in the 13th century and retains its facade and nave from this period. There is gradually added an elegant south portal in the 14th century and side chapels. The transept and the choir, redone between 1517 and 1543, are very characteristic of the Flamboyant Gothic style, with vaults with multiple ribs. The interior layout of this part adopts decorative motifs from the first Renaissance.

Turrets

Characteristic of Chaumont, the turrets pique the curiosity of the stroller who roams the old town. Undoubtedly very numerous in the past, there are still about thirty of them today, without counting those which hide in interior courtyards. These buildings studied in architecture schools are presented in various aspects: square or circular turrets, with or without a roof, more or less elaborate facades, sometimes containing a statuette in a niche. Built to save space in the public space, it acts both as an entrance hall and a staircase leading to the upper floors.

Green spaces

The City is committed to renewing the plant heritage by cutting down threatening trees if necessary and replanting various forest species. This is the case, for example, on the Berchet promenade where the City has played the biodiversity card by replanting different forest species, thus offering residents a real palette of colors throughout the year. meanwhile, it has a real green corridor, extending from Boulevard Thiers to Square Philippe-Lebon.

A green wall, a glacis running alongside the cinema complex, and numerous landscaped areas, thus form a veritable park of more than 400 trees, the visual effects of which will change with the seasons. At the end of the Gagarin stadium, around a hundred trees have been planted by children from municipal leisure clubs and the municipality’s green spaces service. Hornbeam, elderberry, viburnum, willow, country maple, plum, now adorn the back of the stadium.