Now a simple extension of the ramparts, the Tour Rouge (right) was built in the mid-14th century, when the southern suburbs were incorporated into the city walls. Justified by the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War, these new fortifications gave Langres its definitive boundaries until the mid-twentieth century. Square in plan, it was initially fitted with embrasures and topped with a roof. The original rusticated facing gives the tower the ochre tint that probably gave it its name. It was filled in following alterations to the ramparts in the mid-19th century. The Porte des Auges, which opened onto the fortifications linking the old town to the new citadel built to the south between 1842 and 1860, dates from this period. A dame - a solid turret placed on the top of the wall - prevented the enemy from entering the enclosure.
At the end of the 1960s, the construction of the Foyer des Jeunes Travailleurs provided the opportunity for archaeological excavations during which a Gallo-Roman craft quarter was discovered. Further on, you can see the neighbourhoods built in the late 1950s to accommodate the employees of the newly-built factories in the Marne valley.
Tour Rouge et porte des Auges
