Bar-le-Duc, Meuse-side Renaissance
The prefecture, Bar-le-Duc hides an exceptional Renaissance Upper Town: carved mansions, Saint-Étienne church with its famous Transi by Ligier Richier, and peaceful squares. Below, the Lower Town, crossed by the canal and the Ornain river, offers terraces and pretty bridges. Food lovers pause before a jar of redcurrant jam seeded with a goose feather, a speciality unique in the world.
Commercy and its madeleines
A little further north, Commercy and the Castle of King Stanislas recall the time when Lorraine was a refined duchy. The town is the home of madeleines, small butter cakes said to come from a clumsy servant’s gesture. Opening an oval wooden box, choosing madeleines together, tasting them on the banks of the Meuse: a simple date that says a lot.
Madine, Montmédy and Dombasle
To the east, Lake Madine, a huge body of water of more than a thousand hectares, offers beaches, sailing, cycling and swimming. To the north, Montmédy and its Vauban citadel watch over the valley. To the west, the Dombasle necropolis recalls the fighting of 1914-1918. On Lyad, Meuse members share their favourite spots; it is up to you to find someone to unwrap a madeleine, lakeside on a Sunday.
Date ideas
- Bar-le-Duc
- Upper Town
- Commercy
- Commercy madeleines
- Lake Madine
- Montmédy
- Meuse Valley
- Dombasle