Art & Culture

The Chaumont Viaduct is a railway bridge on the Paris-Est line to Mulhouse-Ville, located in Chaumont in Haute-Marne; it overlooks the valley of the Suize. A pedestrian way is arranged on the first level. Its dimensions make it one of the most remarkable works of art of the mid-19th century in Europe.

The Chaumont viaduct was built in fifteen months between 1855 and 1856. Day and night, 2,500 workers and 300 horses enabled this rapid construction for the time. The client is the Eastern Railway Company and the architect Eugène Decomble. It was built to allow the railway to reach the upper part of the city. The structure consists of 60,000 m3 of masonry.

On August 31, 1944, in their retreat, the Germans destroyed two arches of the viaduct (45 meters in length), in order to cut the railway line and obstruct the Chaumont-Auxerre road. Due to the strategic importance of the line, it was quickly restored thanks to a provisional track in service from December 28, 1944, and the viaduct was effectively rebuilt on November 6, 1945.

Since June 8, 2012, the viaduct has benefited from lighting thanks to 430 light-emitting diode (LED) projectors placed at the foot of the monument and in its galleries (lighting design by Jean-François Touchard).

The Basilica of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Chaumont is the main religious building in the town of Chaumont in France. Gothic in style, it dominates with its two towers the oldest part of the town, located on the north-western edge of the Chaumontais plateau.

The basilica is classified as a historical monument by the list of 1862.

The church was built at the beginning of the 13th century, to meet the needs of a growing population. It quickly benefited from numerous donations, in particular from the bailiffs of Chaumont. It was set up as a collegiate church on December 18, 1474 by Pope Sixtus IV. Important works were undertaken from the year 1517 until 1543, the building being richly decorated in the 18th century. It was erected as a minor basilica in 1948.

The west-facing facade and the nave date from the 18th century, the entrance via the Saint-Jean portal located to the south is typical of the 14th century Gothic style. The choir and transept date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The basilica has remarkable furniture, with works by Jean-Baptiste Bouchardon including the high altar (which is currently in the Chapel of the Rosary), the pulpit and the work bench located in front of the pulpit.

A 15th century entombment is located in a chapel to the left of the western door as you enter. It was donated by the Amboise family who were bailiffs of Chaumont. Its ceiling is painted and would represent Jean IV d'Amboise and his wife Catherine de Saint-Belin.

The modern stained glass windows are the work of Calixte Poupart.

The church houses a remarkable example of a tree of Jesse in high relief dating from the first quarter of the 16th century. Made of limestone, it measures 4.50 meters high and 3.20 m at its base. We see Jesse sitting there, asleep. The tree itself bears a dozen figures, and is crowned with a Madonna and Child. On the first branch, on the left, we recognize David by the harp he is carrying. On the ground lies Goliath's enormous head. On the right, the standing figure is the prophet Isaiah.

The great organ of the basilica is a Cavaillé-Coll dating from 1872, inaugurated that same year by Charles-Marie Widor, famous Parisian organist. This organ is made up of 36 stops, divided between three keyboards and a pedal board. The Louis XV style sideboard, made in 1768, was enlarged on the sides by Cavaillé-Coll to accommodate the pedal games.

Its holder from 1990 to 2012 was Vincent Freppel, successor to Annette Merer, holder of this organ from 1962 to 1982.

From the Hostellerie Au Rendez-vous des Amis walking (2h30) or biking (1h15), you will benefit from a hike called Les Ecluses which will allow you to explore the surroundings while traveling in the heart of nature, of our forests and our locks. We will give you details of this lively hike on request.

Raised on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley of the Suize over 45 m, it was built between the 11th and 12th century and remains the only vestige of the castle of the Counts of Champagne of Chaumont. Square tower about twenty meters high, it has kept its medieval appearance over the centuries. Originally a defensive structure, it was used as a prison from 1830 to 1866. From this period, many graffiti remain engraved by prisoners on the interior walls.

The Charles-de-Gaulle Memorial is located in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, in Haute-Marne, 25 km north-west of Chaumont.

It is in this locality that General de Gaulle acquired a residence in 1934, the property of La Boisserie, where he died in 1970.

The current memorial was inaugurated in 2008, replacing a first building inaugurated in 1972, which until then housed a small exhibition and commanded access to the monumental Cross of Lorraine, completed the same year.

The new memorial is the pivot of a route including La Boisserie, the cemetery where the General was buried and the Cross of Lorraine, 44 m high, covered with pink granite and bronze elements.

The architects of the new memorial, Jacques Millet and Jean-Côme Chilou, had already designed the Caen Memorial. Three wings house on the one hand the building dedicated to the permanent exhibition, then the ancillary services (catering, shop) and finally an auditorium. In the center, a panoramic lift leads alternately to the start of the exhibition or to the foot of the cross. The two upper floors house the museum spaces. The permanent exhibition occupies 1600m² and simultaneously evokes periods in the history of France and the life of General de Gaulle: the Belle Epoque, the First War, "the rise of perils", the Second World War (from different angles), then the Liberation, the "crossing of the desert", the return to power in 1958 and the Fifth Republic.

The museography includes a careful sound and musical accompaniment, which evokes the atmospheres of Colombey as those of historical events.

Note that a summer show is scheduled each year and that from June 18 to August 31, a 3D projection is carried out on the Cross of Lorraine.

The memorial is open every day from April to September, every day except Tuesday from February to March and from October to December. Closed in January.

Price: 8 to 13.50 euros. Passes are available including La Boisserie and La Croix.

Information on +33 3 25 30 90 80.

The town hall of Chaumont, is a civil building located in the city center, on the Place de la Concorde. It has been the subject of an inscription as a historical monument since July 13, 1926.

It was built from 1787 to 1790 on the plans of the architect François-Nicolas Lancret2 in order to house in a new building the municipal services which were "cramped" in the Tour du Barle.

Art center dedicated to graphic design, Le Signe is a platform for production, dissemination, support for creation, dialogue and mediation between the artistic field of graphic design and audiences. Its program of exhibitions, workshops, training and residencies, contributes to the recognition, development and influence of graphic design in France and around the world. Chaumont, with a remarkable collection of old posters bequeathed in 1906, has established itself as a major place of graphic design since the creation in 1990 of a festival and an international competition which allowed the constitution of a collection of contemporary posters.