Aisne
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

Laon is full of beauty, its churches, its houses, its surroundings, everything. These are the words of Victor Hugo to his wife in 1835. At the centre of the city is a hilltop, which attracted Stone Age communities as well as the Romans. Today a spectacular Gothic cathedral with four towers sites at the top, hence the name the ‘Crowned Mountain’. Home to the early Frankish kings Clovis and Hugues Capet, there is still much of the medieval town to see, including the 9th century and later fortifications, numerous churches and abbeys, the Episcopal Palace and a Templars Chapel.