The path in front of you is called the breach. This name dates back to the time when Nogent was a fortress. During a siege of the town, the enemy would have made an opening in the walls, which at the time, reinforced the defensive site offered by this edge of the plateau. The path taken by the enemy to take the town took the name of "breach", which is still used today.
This path is the most direct link between the lower and upper parts of the town. Widely used, its accessibility was enhanced by a "hedgehog", i.e. a pavement where the blocks are placed upright against each other. The path was used by workers going into town to work in factories or for craftsmen.
Roger Petitpierre recounts in his book "Harmonie haut-marnaise":
"On the worn cobblestones, I climbed step by step along the path to the breach... This old, steep path marked out by usage, sometimes centuries old, still brings the lower and upper parts of Nogent closer together.... Passers-by greet me with kind words: in the effort shared, in the choice of my route to the city, I am a Nogentais, a friend, a brother...".
This passageway was also the site of sometimes harsh confrontations between gangs of children from Nogent le haut: "les Fouairoux" and those from Nogent le Bas: "les Balibeux". They re-enacted "La guerre des Boutons", a film by Yves ROBERT, based on a book by Louis PERGAUD, which is a good illustration of these quarrels between country kids.
La Brèche
