The doors of old houses are adorned with elegant "knockers" or "door hammers" in a variety of shapes: wave, ring, triangle... Attached to the street-side entrance door at man-height, the knocker was used to announce one's presence. All you had to do was lift the movable part and let it fall on the wood of the door or on another metal part, often in the shape of a nail head. The discreet, muffled noise would signal your visit to the owner. Take a stroll through old Langres and keep your eyes peeled! Some of the door knockers are magnificently decorated. In Rue Gambetta and Rue Derrière-la-Loge, a carved wooden lion's head holds the knocker in its jaws, while others are embellished with lacy ironwork...
Heurtoirs et portes particulières de Langres
