Porte des Moulins, Langres, Classified historical monument and city gate in Langres, France

The porte des Moulins is a 17th-century stone gate at the southern entrance to Langres, a hilltop city in Haute-Marne. Its facade has two round-headed arches separated by a central pier, each outlined with rusticated stone. Above the arches, a projecting niche with a small rectangular opening is flanked by carved winged figures, and round carved heads sit on brackets at the corners. A triangular pediment with sculpted figures and a central oval shield spans the top, behind which rises a steep slate roof topped by a small square lantern.

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 gate's name comes from the windmills that once stood outside the walls, on the windswept plateau; the nearby place Bel-Air also recalls that wind. The facade displays a warrior programme: trophies of arms, plumed helmets and chained enemies, while the sovereign's coat of arms sits in the centre of the pediment, held by a triumphal-arch motif.

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.

The gate's name comes from mills that stood outside the walls; the nearby place Bel-Air recalls the wind that turned them. The 1855 military modification removed the drawbridges and replaced the access with two hinged doors. The gate was classified as a monument historique on 23 June 1924.