Alesia Interpretation Centre
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The Battle of Alesia
A well-known place of historical interest, Alesia has been part of the national heritage scene since the famous final battle of the Gallic Wars between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix. It is located at Alise-Sainte-Reine on a hill between Montbard and Dijon.
After the Gallic victory at Gergovia, the Roman legions retreated northwards to meet up with reinforcements. The Gauls pursued them, but their cavalry were beaten by the Romans at Dijon and Vercingetorix took refuge at Alesia.
Caesar besieged the town with his Gallic allies. Rather than attacking Alesia, he had two lines of fortifications built around it. The first line stopped the Gauls from leaving the settlement and the second prevented the arrival of reinforcements. Ten Roman legions built the double wall in the space of five weeks; one wall was fifteen kilometres long.
Instead of staging uprisings, the Gallic tribes sent a relief army of some 250,000 men to Alesia, including 8,000 on horseback, but it was unable to breach the blockade. After a day of fighting, the Gaulish army was beaten and scattered, pursued by the Roman cavalry.
The Siege of Alesia lasted for two months. When all the provisions were almost used up, Vercingetorix made the women and children leave Alesia, but the Romans refused to let them pass and they died of starvation between the two lines of defence. The Gauls, deprived of food and water, surrendered to the Romans and Vercingetorix was taken prisoner.
Alesia Interpretation Centre
The Interpretation Centre is a wonderful pro-active way to discover the Siege of Alesia. Built on the Alesia Plain, the highly symbolic building was designed by the famous architect, Bernard Tschumi. Its circular shape evokes the Siege of Alesia, the larchwood lattice cladding represents the Roman fortifications and the oblique columns of the atrium evoke the chaos of the battle.
MuséoParc has a plethora of ancient artefacts and replicas, dioramas, films, models, touch screen displays and reproductions of war machines to explain the history of the site. There is also a full programme of convivial, interactive events including themed visits, educational workshops, historical demonstrations and audio guides with the choice of a commentary for children with games and puzzles or a standard adult commentary. There is also a toy library for children aged 3-8.
Plunge into the heart of the battle and marvel at the impressive reconstitution of the Roman lines of fortification. Discover the background of the battle and how it unfolded, the conquests of the Roman army, the revolt of Gaulish chieftains, the confrontation between the two armies, the Siege of Alesia and Caesar’s victory. The trail is completed by the archaeological input and Gallic myths.
Alesia in Côte d'Or is also the site of an iconic, colossal statue of Vercingetorix, commissioned by Napoleon III to commemorate the successful completion of archaeological excavations at Alesia. The 6.60m high copper statue by the sculptor Aimé Millet mounted on a 7-metre high stone pedestal designed by the architect Viollet-le-Duc was erected in 1865.
Last but not least, Alesia also houses a Gallo-Roman site which has been open to the public for over 100 years. After the defeat of Vercingetorix, the oppidum continued to be occupied and a prosperous Gallo-Roman town grew up thanks most notably to the activity by specialist craftsmen working in bronze. The town was abandoned in the 5th century when the population is estimated to have been around a few thousand. All that remains of the ancient town are flattened ruins which correspond to the foundations and underground structures of buildings and homes built over the course of several centuries.
MuséoParc Alesia
1, route des Trois Ormeaux
21150 Alise-Sainte-Reine
Free entry for children under 7
Access
By car, train, motorhome, bike or boat :
SatNav : Latitude : 47.53606 Longitude : 4.468752"A well-known place of historical interest, Alesia has been part of the national heritage scene since the famous final battle of the Gallic Wars between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix. It is located at Alise-Sainte-Reine on a hill between Montbard and Dijon.
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