Chaumont, Prefecture and administrative center in Haute-Marne, France.
Chaumont is a town on a limestone plateau between the Suize and Marne rivers in eastern France. The 13th-century basilica of Saint Jean-Baptiste, medieval houses, and a viaduct built in the 19th century shape the townscape.
The town gained importance in 1814 when European powers signed a treaty here against Napoleon I, forcing France to return to its 1792 borders. This conference made the place a stage for European diplomacy during the Napoleonic Wars.
The town takes its name from its location, as Calvus Mons described a bare hill rising above the surrounding valley. Today it preserves this connection to topography through steep streets and stairs that make the elevation difference between neighborhoods visible.
The train station connects the town to Paris through a railway line that crosses the 600-meter-long (1969 ft) viaduct built in 1856. From there the center can be reached on foot via steep streets that connect the plateau to the lower neighborhoods.
The Grand Pardon celebration, established by Pope Sixtus IV in 1475, occurs when the feast of Saint John the Baptist falls on a Sunday. This rare alignment makes the celebration a special event that recurs only occasionally across decades.
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