Laignes () is a
commune in the
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124. department, in the
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in eastern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Geography

Laignes has a total area of 40 km
2 and an approximate altitude of 220 m.
Near the town hall there is a basin formed by the resurgence of the river
Laigne.
Accessibility
Laignes is traversed by RN 965 from
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
to
Chaumont.
The nearest train stations are found at Nuits (17 kilometers) and Montbard (25 kilometers). There is a bus connection to
Gare de Montbard, a (
TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
) station.
Neighboring communes
History
Prehistory and antiquity
Refined flints and tombs dating to the
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
attest to the antiquity of the site's occupation. The crossing of the roads from Auxerre to Langres and Alise to Vertault made it a very active place for the
Lingones
The Lingones (Gaulish: 'the jumpers') were a Gallic tribe of the Iron Age and Roman periods. They dwelled in the region surrounding the present-day city of Langres, between the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis and Gallia Belgica.
Name
A ...
during the Gallo-Roman period: an ancient potter's wheel was discovered near the train station bearing witness to the area's artisanal past.
Middle Ages
Merovingian coins were struck at Laignes, especially those bearing the likeness of
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...
. During this period, Laignes belonged to Tonnerre which passed from the Counts of Champagne to the
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...
. To resist various assaults from armed bands that ravaged the country during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
, the city surrounded itself with fortifications; of which only a single round tower remains.
Modern era
On the eve of the French Revolution, Laignes depended on goods from the Bailiwick of Sens in the County of Champagne and spiritual guidance from the Deanery of Châtillon-sur-Seine, part of the Diocese of Langres.
Heraldry
List of mayors
Demographics
In 2017, the commune had 692 inhabitants, a change of -22% from 2007.
Monuments and historic places
*
Église Saint-Didier was designated a
monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
(national heritage site) in 1930. Its furniture and statuary date to the 16th and 17th centuries.
*The sculpture at the
resurgence of the river
Laigne and the basin at the center of town.
*

The former Café des Chiens Blancs (Cafe of the White Dogs), now a multimedia library on the main square near the town hall. It was designated a
monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
in 1995.
*Old freight station on the
line from Nuits-sous-Ravières to Châtillon-sur-Seine.
*Old medieval
tower
A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
near the west entrance of the
commune.
*The Chappelle Sainte-Marguerite (English: Chapel of Saint Margaret) on the road to
Fontaines-les-Sèches
Fontaines-les-Sèches () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Côte-d'Or department
The following is a list of the 698 communes of the C� ...
.
*The elementary school.
File:Café des chiens.JPG, Café des Chiens Blancs.
File:Laignes 002.JPG, The Laigne.
File:Laignes 003.JPG, A street in the village.
Notable personalities
*
André Metthey, (1871-1920), world-renowned ceramic artist, born 4 June 1871 in Laignes, and died in
Asnières-sur-Seine
Asnières-sur-Seine () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometr ...
in 1920.
*
Christine Petit
Christine Petit (born 4 February 1948) is a French geneticist. She holds professorships at the Collège de France and the Pasteur Institute.
Biography
Petit was born in Laignes in 1948. She initially studied at the Paris teaching hospital, Pit ...
, born in Laignes in 1948, physician and researcher, professor at the
Collège de France
The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...
and the
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Th ...
.
*Doctor Paul Robert was born on
Réunion
Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...
in 1904, physician in Laignes from 1930 to 1939, and killed by the Nazis on 11 June 1944 in
Essarois.
*
André Osterberger
André Osterberger (26 October 1920 – 18 January 2009) was a French athlete. He competed in the men's hammer throw at the 1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and c ...
, (1920-2009), professional hammer thrower, born 26 Oct 1920 in Laignes. In 1950, he held the French record in the hammer throw with a mark 51.66 meters and had a mark of 52.95 meters in the 1952 Olympics.
See also
*
Communes of the Côte-d'Or department
The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):[information
Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...]
s sur Laignes et les environs.
* ''Le Dictionnaire de l'athlétisme'' par Robert Parienté, extrait in ''L'Équipe athlétisme magazine'' du 10 novembre 1971.
*
{{authority control
Communes of Côte-d'Or