Yitzhak Rabin Promenade

Take a moment to cross over to the other side of the ramparts and walk along the Yitzhak Rabin Promenade. From here, you can easily picture what Laon looked like in ancient times, when the small Gallic fortress, perched atop the highest hill, overlooked the surrounding plains. Mind you, the names Laon and Lyon both come from the same word: Lugdunum, which in Celtic means the fortress of the god Lug, a major deity in Celtic mythology. In short, you can even catch sight of the first rows of Gallic stones where the first ramparts stood. The well-preserved 11th-century ramparts were later built on top of them.