English: Map copied from Le Monde illustré 1909-05-01 showing the route of a sensational balloon flight from Paris to Norway on 25th November 1870, during the Franco–Prussian War 1870–71. Caption in French.

The Ville d'Orléans was a manned postal gas balloon carrying military messages and mail during the German siege of Paris, taking off with Paul Rolier and Leon Bézier from the city late at night on Thursday 24th November 1870. The balloon lost its course in the strong winds and landed in a snowy Lifjell mountain area in Seljord, Norway the day after. The two frenchmen made their way back to France through Oslo and London over the next couple of weeks. The journey was the longest balloon flight until then and attracted great attention in its time. Read more about the remarkable voyage in "Through The Air" (1873, pages 233–240), "The balloon. Noteworthy aerial voyages, from the discovery of the balloon to the present time" (1879, pages 42–49), and "A Short History of Balloons and Flying Machines" (1907, pages 65–68).