Laignes (French pronunciation: [lɛɲ]) is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Laignes
The town hall and resurgence of the Laigne River
The town hall and resurgence of the Laigne River
Coat of arms of Laignes
Location of Laignes
Map
Laignes is located in France
Laignes
Laignes
Laignes is located in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Laignes
Laignes
Coordinates: 47°50′38″N 4°21′50″E / 47.8439°N 4.3639°E / 47.8439; 4.3639
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
DepartmentCôte-d'Or
ArrondissementMontbard
CantonChâtillon-sur-Seine
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Michel Antoni[1]
Area
1
40.02 km2 (15.45 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
663
 • Density17/km2 (43/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
21336 /21330
Elevation202–288 m (663–945 ft)
(avg. 214 m or 702 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography edit

 

Laignes has a total area of 40 km2 and an approximate altitude of 220 m.

Near the town hall there is a basin formed by the resurgence of the river Laigne.

Accessibility edit

Laignes is traversed by RN 965 from Auxerre to Chaumont.

The nearest train stations are found at Nuits (17 kilometers) and Montbard (25 kilometers). There is a bus connection to Gare de Montbard, a (TGV) station.

Neighboring communes edit

History edit

Prehistory and antiquity edit

Refined flints and tombs dating to the Iron Age attest to the antiquity of the site's occupation. The crossing of the roads from Auxerre to Langres and Alise to Vertault made it a very active place for the Lingones during the Gallo-Roman period: an ancient potter's wheel was discovered near the train station bearing witness to the area's artisanal past.

Middle Ages edit

Merovingian coins were struck at Laignes, especially those bearing the likeness of Charles the Bald. During this period, Laignes belonged to Tonnerre which passed from the Counts of Champagne to the Duchy of Burgundy. To resist various assaults from armed bands that ravaged the country during the Hundred Years' War, the city surrounded itself with fortifications; of which only a single round tower remains.

Modern era edit

On the eve of the French Revolution, Laignes depended on goods from the Bailiwick of Sens in the County of Champagne and spiritual guidance from the Deanery of Châtillon-sur-Seine, part of the Diocese of Langres.[3]

Heraldry edit

  Blazon:
"Gules a Bend Or with Two Towers Argent"
Comments: Its official status is to be determined.


List of mayors edit

Term Name Party Description
19th Century M. Mauris - -
1941-1947 Gabriel Beau - -
1947-1974 Émile Lepître Independent Republicans -
1974-1995 Jean-Pierre Recq UDF -
1995-2008 Jean-Paul Noret Socialist Party -
2008–Present Jean-Michel Antoni UMP -
This list of mayors is incomplete.

Demographics edit

In 2017, the commune had 692 inhabitants, a change of -22% from 2007.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,520—    
1800 1,559+0.36%
1806 1,768+2.12%
1821 1,514−1.03%
1831 1,476−0.25%
1836 1,492+0.22%
1841 1,563+0.93%
1846 1,534−0.37%
1851 1,547+0.17%
1856 1,421−1.68%
1861 1,410−0.16%
1866 1,391−0.27%
1872 1,380−0.13%
1876 1,340−0.73%
1881 1,341+0.01%
1886 1,289−0.79%
1891 1,232−0.90%
1896 1,158−1.23%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,149−0.16%
1906 1,186+0.64%
1911 1,138−0.82%
1921 1,068−0.63%
1926 1,072+0.07%
1931 1,109+0.68%
1936 1,051−1.07%
1946 1,046−0.05%
1954 1,047+0.01%
1962 1,032−0.18%
1968 1,073+0.65%
1975 1,004−0.95%
1982 1,008+0.06%
1990 904−1.35%
1999 881−0.29%
2007 885+0.06%
2012 772−2.70%
2017 692−2.16%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Monuments and historic places edit

Notable personalities edit

  • André Metthey, (1871-1920), world-renowned ceramic artist, born 4 June 1871 in Laignes, and died in Asnières-sur-Seine in 1920.
  • Christine Petit, born in Laignes in 1948, physician and researcher, professor at the Collège de France and the Pasteur Institute.
  • Doctor Paul Robert was born on Réunion in 1904, physician in Laignes from 1930 to 1939, and killed by the Nazis on 11 June 1944 in Essarois.
  • André Osterberger, (1920-2009), professional hammer thrower, born 26 Oct 1920 in Laignes. In 1950, he held the French record in the hammer throw with a mark 51.66 meters and had a mark of 52.95 meters in the 1952 Olympics.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ René Paris 1986, p. 96
  4. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Laignes, EHESS (in French).
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. ^ Base Mérimée: PA00112501, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  7. ^ René Paris 1986, p. 97
  8. ^ Base Mérimée: Café des Chiens Blancs, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)

Bibliography edit

  • Le Canton de Laignes par les cartes postales, de Jean Millot et XX, mine d'informations sur Laignes et les environs.
  • Le Dictionnaire de l'athlétisme par Robert Parienté, extrait in L'Équipe athlétisme magazine du 10 novembre 1971.
  • René Paris (1986), "Aignay-le-Duc, Baigneux-les-Juifs, Laignes", À la rencontre du Châtillonnais, La Bourgogne