REMEMBRANCE TOURISM GUIDE 2018


Louis Guindez, which today makes Saint-Quentin an attractive proposition for tourists.  www.saint-quentin-tourisme.fr


Compiègne


The Armistice was signed in a forest clearing just outside of Compiègne on 11 November 1918. The Musée de l’Armistice houses an exact replica of the train carriage in which the signing took place. Less than an hour on the train from Paris, this would make a charming destination for rounding off a remembrance tour of Picardy. For this centenary year, the museum’s star attraction, the train carriage, has benefi tted from a full makeover.  www.compiegne-tourisme.fr


Arras


In April 1917, 24,000 Allied soldiers poured out of the tunnels of Wellington Quarry to launch a surprise attack on the German lines at the Battle of Arras. This extraordinary effort is just part of the story of this famous Artois city and how it became a focal point for much of the fi ghting. Over 80 per cent of the city was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Today it is a vibrant, friendly city and a great base for touring.  www.explorearras.com


WHERE TO STAY IN THE GRAND EST


The Grand Est contains the departments of Ardennes, Aube, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meuse, Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle and Vosges.  www.tourisme-lorraine.fr  www.tourisme-meuse.com  www.centenaire.org  www.lamarne14-18.com  www.ardennes.com  www.champagne-ardenne- tourism.co.uk


Verdun


Though it is the largest city in Meuse, Verdun is still relatively compact, with a fairly limited choice of hotels and chambres d’hôtes available for visitors. Nevertheless, as the heart of Great War remembrance tourism


152 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2018 FT167.WW1 GUIDE.indd 152 05/03/2018 12:48 pubV


of 20 years and is now regarded as symbolic of peace between France and Germany.  www.reims-tourism.com


Charleville-Mézières The capital of Ardennes, Charleville-Mézières was occupied by the German Imperial Army from early 1914, who used in turn the nearby Château Corneau and Château Renaudin as the German Imperial Crown Prince’s temporary residences during the war.


Vimy commemorates the Canadian Expeditionary Force members who died in France


in the region, it makes an ideal destination for visitors with a focused interest in the city’s surrounding battlefi elds, museums and monuments. An impressive son et lumière show takes place every year.  www.en.verdun-tourisme.com  www.meusetourism.com/en


Metz


The Grand Est regional capital of Lorraine combines antiquity and modernity. The picturesque cobbled streets of the medieval city circle the gothic Saint- Étienne cathedral, contrasting with the Germanic architecture of the Quartier Impérial, which was constructed in celebration of the successful Prussian siege of Metz during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The cathedral’s stained glass windows, which were designed by modernist 20th-century artist Marc Chagall, are emblematic of Metz’s eclectic artistic identity. The opening of the Centre Pompidou-Metz in 2010 is the latest continuation of Metz’s signifi cant artistic heritage.  www.tourisme-metz.com


Nancy


A younger city than Metz, though now of a similar size, Nancy is hailed as an archetype of 18th-century building and city planning. It’s most famous for its central Place Stanislas, an impressive rococo square named after the Duke of Lorraine who commissioned the town’s planning in the 1700s.


Today, Nancy is a thriving university city with plenty of hotels, restaurants and cultural diversions to provide all the creature comforts you may need to explore this relatively unvisited area.  en.nancy-tourisme.fr


Saint-Mihiel


The small town of Saint-Mihiel is worth visiting for a day or an overnight trip. It is famous for the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, which saw one of the fi rst solo US offensives in the Great War. Attractions include an 8th-century abbey with a library housing 9,000 antique books. An hour’s drive from both Metz and Nancy, and just half an hour from Verdun, Saint-Mihiel also makes an excellent natural stopover when exploring this region’s military history.  www.saint-mihiel.fr


Reims


Champagne-Ardenne’s largest city by far, Reims makes an obvious choice for a base in the region. Its magnifi cent cathedral, Notre-Dame de Reims, is in fact larger than the cathedral of the same name in Paris, and is historically renowned as the site of the coronation of no fewer than 33 French kings. It was destroyed by a


bombardment of 300 shells from a German air attack in September 1914, leading to a national outcry and Reims earning its status as a ‘Martyred City’. The cathedral was reconstructed over a period


WORLD WAR I For more about the Great War, see our World War 1 Centenary Special Edition magazine.


www.francemedia.com/world-war-1 -the-centenary-special-edition


Mézières town hall became the German HQ for operations in the region. It was from here that the Battle of Verdun and the battles at Chemin des Dames were planned and directed.  www.charleville-tourisme.com


Sedan


This town is fascinating to visit due to its unique history in the Great War. Under occupation by the German army it was transformed into an enormous logistics camp, with cinemas, brothels, hospitals and ammunition stores built for German use. Sedan Castle was captured and used as a prison for French prisoners of war from 1917 to 1918.


There are a handful of hotels and restaurants if you’re tempted to stay. It’s a picturesque town and its robust castle is even more imposing in the light of its dramatic history.  uk.tourisme-sedan.fr  meusetourism.com/en FT


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19