Porte des Moulins, Langres, Classified historical monument and city gate in Langres, France
The porte des Moulins is a 17th-century stone gate on the edge of the old town of Langres, a hilltop city in northeastern France. It has two cart-width openings side by side and its outer facade is covered with carved stone reliefs showing war trophies, shields, helmets, and two chained figures seated before flags.
The gate was built between 1642 and 1647, near the end of the Thirty Years War, replacing an older medieval gate that had stood on the same spot. In 1855 the military modified it again, widening the passage into two separate openings to allow larger convoys through more easily.
The Porte des Moulins takes its name from the windmills that once stood outside the city walls, using the strong winds on the plateau. On the town-facing side, a painted 15th-century statue of the Virgin and Child is still visible in a niche above the passage.
The gate is easy to reach on foot from the center of Langres and sits along the route that follows the old town walls. It works well as a stop on a walking tour of the historic fortifications, since other towers and gates are nearby along the same path.
Until 1857, a second and older gate called the Moulin-à-Vent stood just beside the current structure, having been part of the city walls since the 14th century. The two gates stood side by side for nearly three centuries before the older one was torn down.
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