Tour de Navarre de Langres, Fortified tower in Langres, France

The Tour de Navarre de Langres is a fortified tower in Langres, France, made of two joined sections: a taller part with a conical tiled roof and a lower flat-topped drum. Its rough stone walls are pierced by narrow openings, and inside, a round column supports vaulted ceilings with radiating ribs.

Built between 1512 and 1519, the tower was almost finished in 1515 when it was raised by 2.5 meters to increase the range of its cannons. This change led to the addition of a second tower, Orval, and in 1825 the military converted it into a powder magazine with a conical roof.

The tower's name comes from the field of Navarre, once owned by the counts of Champagne, who were also kings of Navarre. Today, visitors can see the spiral ramp that allowed cannons to be moved to the top, a feature that shows how military engineering shaped the town's defenses.

The tower is best visited on foot, and its location near the old town makes it easy to combine with a walk around the ramparts. Access to the interior may be limited, so check locally for opening times, and wear comfortable shoes for the uneven ground.

The tower's walls are 7 meters thick and contain two vaulted rooms, and the terrace once hosted an annual shooting contest where the winner was crowned king of the arquebus. If a competitor won three years in a row, he became emperor and gained tax exemptions.