From the campsite to the cathedral !

Also known as the Etang de la Gaule Laonnoise, this freshwater fishing lake was opened to the public in the early 1970s.In addition to its fishing role, it has also become a popular place to take a stroll in the lower town of Laon.

This is the Blancs-Monts shooting range in Laon, which was the scene of executions of resistance fighters during the Second World War.This commemorative plaque, erected by the Aisne ANACR, bears the names of Gaston Pinot (killed in 1941), André Dauriol, Maurice Isart and Léon Roussel (killed in 1944)...

Here you are at the foot of the Pointe Saint-Martin, the defensive highpoint of this western part of the fortified belt.At the top of these ramparts stood the imposing Classon battery, defending the access via Laniscourt with its cannons in the late 19th century, as well as the mills, which were particularly well exposed in this windy part of the town. It should be noted that access to the tower is possible on the occasion of certain events, such as the Fête de la Nature in May or the European Heritage Days in September...

One of the oldest cemeteries in France, opened in March 1793, eleven years before Père Lachaise in Paris! Situated on a hillside at the foot of the city walls, on a sloping 5-hectare site, it enjoys a unique panorama. Among the 2,000 tombs, some present a very varied range of funerary architecture and tell individual or family stories.There are many tombs of prominent people from Laon: clergymen, former mayors of the town (including Antoine de Beffroy de la Grève, Jacques-François Glatigny and Georges Ermant), local notables (such as Lucien Limasset, founder of the first Syndicat d'Initiatives before the First World War, and the revolutionary Jacques François Laurent Devisme).You can also come across the obelisk erected in memory of the mobile guards killed in the explosion of the Laon citadel in September 1870, or the graves of eight Commonwealth soldiers (whose plane crashed nearby in May 1942...). It's an unusual place in the town to discover, and one that has recently been enhanced by the Groupe de Recherches et d'Études du Cimetière Saint-Just (GRECS)!  Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

This is the house where Pierre Méchain, a future scientist, was born in 1756. He was famous for a number of reasons, including measuring the length of the earth's meridian as part of a geodesic mission ordered by Louis XVI. But he is also known for his immense work as an astronomer, with no fewer than 7 comets discovered by him.Since 1999, an asteroid has been named in his memory: (21785) Méchain, no mean feat!A secondary school in the lower town of Laon also bears his name... Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Placed in September 2000, it pays tribute to the Jesuit Jacques Marquette (a native of Laon) and the hydrographer Louis Jolliet (a native of Quebec), who left in the 17th century with their companions to explore the course of the Mississippi River, thinking that it flowed into the Pacific Ocean in California...This street now also bears their name. A little further down the road, you can admire the Père Marquette stele, created in 1637 in Laon to mark the tercentenary of his birth...

This square is home to the stele representing Père Marquette, which was originally created to commemorate the tercentenary of his birth in 1937. It originally stood on the western side of the town, near the Porte de Soissons, and was moved to this location in 2005. At its base is this quotation: "A JACQUES MARQUETTE GREAT MISSIONARY AND PIONEER OF CIVILISATION BORN IN LAON ON 1 JUNE 1637 DIED IN CANADA ON 18 MAY 1675 HIS COMPATRIOTS - HIS ADMIRERS "HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THE SUN, FRENCHMAN, WHEN YOU COME TO VISIT US". HIAWATHA"

This house, located at 33 rue Sérurier, has been the seat of the royal provost since the 14th century. In 1702, it also became the home of the municipal administration, which in 1736 had a magnificent monumental gateway built across the street, topped by a second storey. The rich ornamentation includes trophies of arms and the coats of arms of France and Laon. Old standard measurements (surface area, volume and length) are also fixed to the wall in the passageway...

One of the typical alleyways in the old town of Laon, it links rue Sérurier to the square in front of the cathedral, and takes its name from the famous theologian Pierre Abélard (you know, the one who wrote Héloïse?) who attended the School of Laon in 1113... After the shadow of this very narrow passage, the white façade of the cathedral will appear before you!

Built between 1150 and 1230, Notre-Dame cathedral is a representative example of early Gothic art. It features an elongated chancel with a flat apse and five towers (including those on the façade adorned with oxen). Its stained glass windows are a well-preserved example of the 1200s style, and its treasures include a medieval icon of the Holy Face, as well as a Conservatory of Sacred Art...