Citadel gate

The ancient gateway before you is the Citadel Gate. It was built in 1595, and at the time it overlooked the city on one side and the famous citadel designed by Henry IV on the other. So why a citadel in the city of Laon? Let’s roll back the clock, shall we? In the midst of the French Wars of Religion, Laon sided with the Catholics and joined the Holy League. The Catholic League of France was a union of Catholics, supported by Spain, fighting against Protestantism. And it did quite well at first. The League, which even managed to drive Henry III out of Paris, posed a real threat to the monarchy. So when Henry IV, a Protestant, conquered back Laon after several months of siege, he had an entire district demolished to build a citadel facing the city rather than the outside world, clearly showing his distrust of the inhabitants. The citadel was surrounded by a moat and had a drawbridge for protection. In 1835, after years of neglect, Henry IV’s citadel was repurposed for military use once again. Due to its location, Laon held a strategic importance in the conflicts between France and Germany, or rather Prussia at the time. That being said, in the 19th century, King Louis Philippe had the fortress rebuilt to protect it from an imminent attack. In 1870, however, a major incident during the Franco-Prussian War would leave a lasting imprint on the citadel’s history. Following the defeat of Napoleon III at Sedan, the Laon citadel must accept defeat. But one young soldier, unwilling to accept the city’s surrender, blew up the gunpowder magazine, taking hundreds of other soldiers with him. French soldiers, all of them. Today, it serves as an administrative center. You can visit the old gunpowder magazine and its secret underground passages by the entrance a few meters ahead.