Bar-le-Duc

Bar-le-Duc
Prefecture and commune
Clock tower

Coat of arms
Bar-le-Duc
Location within Grand Est region
Bar-le-Duc
Coordinates: 48°46′19″N 5°09′37″E / 48.7719°N 05.1603°E / 48.7719; 05.1603Coordinates: 48°46′19″N 5°09′37″E / 48.7719°N 05.1603°E / 48.7719; 05.1603
Country France
Region Grand Est
Department Meuse
Arrondissement Bar-le-Duc
Canton Bar-le-Duc-1 and 2
Intercommunality Bar-le-Duc
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Bertrand Pancher (UMP)
Area1 23.62 km2 (9.12 sq mi)
Population (2009)2 15,895
 • Density 670/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 55029 /55000
Elevation 175–327 m (574–1,073 ft)
(avg. 240 m or 790 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Bar-le-Duc (French pronunciation: ​[baʁ lə dyk]), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France.

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.[1]

The highly rarefied Bar-le-duc jelly, also known as Lorraine Jelly, is a spreadable preparation of white currant or red currant fruit preserves, hailing from this town. First referenced in the historical record in 1344, it is also colloquially referred to as Bar Caviar.

History

Bar-le-Duc was at one time the seat of the county, from 1354 the Duchy of Bar. Though probably of ancient origin, the town was unimportant until the 10th century when it was fortified by Frederick I of Upper Lorraine.[1] Bar was the independent duchy from 1354 to 1480, when it was acquired by Duchy of Lorraine.

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 château 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 Saint-Étienne (constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries) contains the Cadaver Tomb of René of Chalon, a skillfully carved effigy in white stone of a half-decayed corpse. It was erected to the memory of René of Châlon (died 1544), and is the work of 16th-century artist Ligier Richier, a pupil of Michelangelo.[1]

The lower town contains the official buildings and the churches of Notre-Dame, the most ancient in the town, and St. Antony, with 14th-century frescoes. Among the statues of distinguished natives of the town is one to Nicolas Oudinot, whose house serves as the hôtel-de-ville.[1] Other sights include the Notre-Dame Bridge, with five arches surmounted by a chapel in the middle.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
17939,111—    
18008,961−1.6%
18069,970+11.3%
182111,432+14.7%
183112,496+9.3%
183612,383−0.9%
184112,526+1.2%
184613,191+5.3%
185114,816+12.3%
185613,835−6.6%
186114,922+7.9%
186615,334+2.8%
187215,175−1.0%
187616,728+10.2%
188117,485+4.5%
188618,860+7.9%
189118,761−0.5%
189618,249−2.7%
190117,693−3.0%
190617,307−2.2%
191117,068−1.4%
192116,261−4.7%
192616,365+0.6%
193116,550+1.1%
193616,697+0.9%
194615,460−7.4%
195416,609+7.4%
196218,346+10.5%
196819,159+4.4%
197519,288+0.7%
198218,471−4.2%
199017,545−5.0%
199916,944−3.4%
200616,041−5.3%
200915,895−0.9%

Notable residents

Bar-le-Duc was the birthplace of:


Other notable residents were:

Twin cities

Bar-le-Duc is twinned with:

See also

Part of the series on
Lorraine
Flag of Lorraine since the 13th century


References

  1. 1 2 3 4  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bar-le-Duc". Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 404.
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