Bar-sur-Aube

Togarix coin - Front

A Togarix coin - back

The existence of Bar-sur-Aube goes back to ancient times. There are remains of an oppidum from the Iron Age. A coin with the image of a horse in the name of Togirix (Chief of the Lingones) was discovered on the Sainte Germaine hill.

In Roman times the town appeared on the Tabula Peutingeriana under the name of Segessera. Some remains from the 1st to the 4th century including villas have been discovered in the town and surrounding areas. Segessera seemed to have existed from the Roman period to the first Lyonnais in the territory of the Lingones.

The city was devastated by Attila. After the division of the kingdom of Clovis by his son the town became part of Austrasia.

Under Charles the Bald several varieties of coins were issued with the name of the city on the reverse. During the period of the Counts of Champagne the town was of great importance with the Champagne fairs where merchants from Flanders and Italy traded Oriental spices and silk for textiles and raw materials from the north of Europe in mid-February and mid-April. The town was then joined to the crown of France. In 1318 Philip V the Tall sold the town to Jacques de Croÿ, residents bought it themselves to ensure that the king could no longer sell or alienate the lands.

When Charles V besieged Saint-Dizier the inhabitants of nearby villages came under his protection. The town suffered a long plague in 1636 which led to the end of the fair. In 1862 the fortifications were demolished and the boulevard du tour put in their place.

The French Revolution was well received in the commune and the convents disappeared. It became the chief town of the district from 1790 to 1800.

The city and surrounding area was the scene of the Battle of Bar-sur-Aube towards the end of the Napoleonic era on 27 February 1814.

In 1911 the Champagne riots of the Aube winegrowers and the Marnais traders to keep the vineyards in the Appellation d'origine contrôlée of "Champagne".

Bar-sur-Aube has twinning associations with:[13]

• Gernsheim (Germany) since 1976.

View from Lycée Gaston Bachelard.

The commune has several schools and colleges:[16]

• One public Kindergarten: Gambetta
• 3 Elementary schools:
  • Saint Teresa
  • Arthur Bureau Public school
  • Maurice Vechin public school
• One college: the College Gaston Bachelard The college consists of 19 classes spread over 4 floors offering students with options for Latin in the 5th year, Greek in the 3rd year and has the distinction of being the only college in France to have a cinema-audiovisual option. A soccer section is available for middle school and high school students.[17]
• One comprehensive school: Lycée Polyvalent Gaston Bachelard This general and technological school consists of 14 classes spread over 3 levels and offers its students the following courses: S (Scientific), L (literary), ES (economic and social) and STMG (Science and Technology manageant and management). It also offers a cinema-audiovisual option from the 2nd year. Foreign languages ??taught are German, English and Spanish. Classes are held in groups of skills not whole classes. Each year school trips are organized to Germany, Scotland, and Spain. In 2013 an exchange with students from Ashburn (United States) began. The French students went in February and US students came in 2014. The vocational high school consists of 6 classes spread over 3 floors and offers its students courses in trade and electrical engineering.[18]

There are numerous sports clubs in Bar-sur-Aube:[19]

• The hemp industry is highly developed in Bar-sur-Aube and has been growing steadily for several years.
• Furniture Manufacturing: Dumeste (Cauval Industries Group)
• Metal processing (forging, machining) for aerospace, armaments, agricultural machinery, medicine (prosthetics), etc. Manoir Aerospace.

Bar-sur-Aube, is the largest French producer of straw hemp (125 tons per day) and many hemp products are manufactured in the commune. Around the town there are many vineyards specializing in champagne.

Old map of places in the town

the Library

The sub-prefecture

• The Covered Market
• The former Hotel de Surmont (now the Post Office)
• The Marcasselles Mill

The commune has many buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• A House at 33 Rue d'Aube (16th century)[21]
• A House at 44 Rue d'Aube (16th century)[22]
• The Petit Clairvaux Storehouse at 24 Rue Beugnot (12th century)[23]
• An Ursuline Convent at Place Carnot (17th century)[24] (now the Town Hall)
• The Doré and son woollen mill at 1bis Rue Chenot (20th century)[25]
• The René Thiéblemont Carpentry factory at Route de Fontaine (20th century)[26]
• The Thuillier Stamping Plant at Avenue du Général Leclerc (20th century)[27]
• The Perfor metalwork factory at 32 avenue du Général Leclerc (20th century)[28]
• The Chevallier Foundry at 30 avenue du Général Leclerc (20th century)[29]
• The Henry Comte Sawmill at rue du Général de Gaulle (20th century)[30]
• A Building at 79 Rue Nationale (16th century)[31]
• A Flourmill at 25 boulevard de la République (18th century)[32]
• A Small Flourmill at 21 boulevard de la République (18th century)[33]
• A Building at 1 petite rue Saint-Pierre (15th century)[34]
• A Hotel at 15, 17 rue Saint-Pierre; 4 rue Delaunay (15th century)[35] (now a Museum and Library)
• A Building at 4 rue Saint-Pierre (18th century)[36]
• The Joseph de Bucy Diesel motor works at rue du Sommerard (20th century)[37]
• The Breton-Cordier Tannery at 2 rue des Tanneries (19th century)[38]
• The Three Towers House at 9 rue des Trois-Tours (16th century)[39]
• The Sub-Prefecture (18th century)[40]
• An Oppidum (Iron Age)[41]

The Church of Saint Peter

The Church of Saint Maclou

The Templar Chapel

• The Chapel of Saint John from the Knights Templar then the Knights Hospitaller.
• The Chapel of Sainte-Germaine

The commune has three religious buildings that are registered as historical monuments:

• A Priory (16th century)[42]
• The Church of Saint Peter (16th century)[43]
• The Church of Saint Maclou (12th century)[44]

• Cheese festival in June
• Eurythmies Festival, late June.
• Festival "JazzàBar" early September
• A Market every Saturday morning under the covered market, in the Town Hall Square, and in the Rue Nationale
• Local Palm Festival
• Medieval Fair, the first weekend in September
• Gourmet Champagne Promenade in May

• Bar-sur-Aube Official Website Archived 2015-12-26 at the Wayback Machine