Everything about Bar-le-duc totally explained
Bar-le-Duc is a town in northeastern
France, in the
Meuse département, of which it's the
préfecture (capital).
History
Bar-le-Duc was at one time the seat of the
countship, later
duchy, of
Bar. Though probably of ancient origin, the town was unimportant till the 10th century when it became the residence of the counts.
Originally part of the early medieval duchy of
Upper Lorraine. At some stage in the early modern period it was acquired by the neighbouring dukes of
Lorraine.
Population (1906): 14,624.
See also:
Counts and dukes of Bar
Geography
The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, shut in by wooded or
vine-clad hills, and is traversed throughout its length by the
Ornain, which is crossed by several bridges. It is limited towards the north-east by the
Marne-Rhine Canal, on the south-west by a small arm of the Ornain, called the
Canal des Usines, on the left bank of which the upper town (
Ville Haute) is situated.
Sights
The
Ville Haute, which is reached by staircases and steep narrow thoroughfares, is intersected by a long, quiet street, bordered by houses of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. In this quarter are the remains (16th century) of the chateau of the
dukes of Bar, dismantled in 1670, the old clock-tower, and the college, built in the latter half of the 16th century. Its church of St Stephen (14th and 15th centuries) contains a skilfully-carved effigy in white stone of a half-decayed corpse, the work of
Ligier Richier (1500-1572), a pupil of
Michelangelo erected to the memory of
René of Châlon (d. 1544).
The lower town contains the official buildings and two or three churches, but these are of little interest. Among the statues of distinguished natives of the town is one to
Charles Nicolas Oudinot, whose house serves as the
hotel-de-ville.
Economy
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica
Eleventh Edition (1911):
» Bar-le-Duc has tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a board of trade arbitrators, a lycee, a training-college for girls, a chamber of commerce, a branch of the
Banque de France and an art museum. The industries of the town include
ironfounding and the manufacture of machinery,
corsets,
hosiery,
flannel goods, jam and wall-paper, and brewing, cotton spinning and weaving, leather-dressing and dyeing. Wine, timber and iron are important articles of commerce.
Miscellaneous
Bar-le-Duc was the birthplace of:
A great silk factory was established here by
Jean-François Jacqueminot.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Bar-le-duc'.
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