Photo : Chaumont52 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Chaumont
Built on a rocky spur above the confluence of the Marne and the Suize, Chaumont owes its distinctive profile to the railway viaduct that spans it, a monumental structure more than six hundred metres long with fifty stone arches, a mid-19th-century feat of engineering that has become the town's emblem.
The Basilica of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, combining Romanesque and Gothic elements, and the Tour du Bassigny, a remnant of the medieval castle of the Counts of Champagne, complete the heritage of the old town with its steep lanes. Every year Chaumont hosts the International Poster and Graphic Design Festival, which earned the town recognition as a UNESCO Creative City and continues a graphic tradition going back to 19th-century popular prints.
