Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former barracks of the Queen's Dragons, built between 1783 and 1788 in Laon, was intended to house the regiment of the Queen's Dragons. This military monument was distinguished by its quadrilateral architecture, with stables on the ground floor and horsemen's rooms on the first floor, distributed by couriers. A ride occupied the second courtyard, while the oven was located in a nearby former college. This architectural prototype, designed by the inspectors of the Ponts et Chaussées Chambrette and Beauvisage, remained without posterity due to defects in construction requiring recaptures at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

The barracks were destroyed in 1917, during the First World War, leaving only a drinking pot in the suburbs and its pediment, re-used in 1935 on the central building of the Foch district in the suburbs of Semilly. This area, later known as the Hanic quarter or artillery, housed the 29th artillery regiment from 1878 to 1914, during which time Lieutenant-Colonel Foch served there between 1901 and 1903. Today, the pediment, classified as a historical monument in 1927, is the last visible vestige of this emblematic barracks, while the original site now houses the Paul-Claudel High School.

The site of the Foch district, located Avenue du Maréchal-Foch, retains some buildings still in use, although the old command centre, carrying the historical pediment, is now decommissioned. The enclosure occasionally serves as a framework for local events, such as the Summer Festival in Aisne. This monument thus illustrates the urban and military evolution of Laon, between 18th century heritage and contemporary reuse.

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