Circuit 1914-1918 : the First World War in the Marne

Circuit 1914-1918 : the First World War in the Marne

The Marne was one of the areas most severely scarred by the First World War, both in the west because of the war of movement with the two battles of the Marne and in

the north because of the trench warfare and the fighting during the Argonne and Champagne offensives. Providing

an understanding of the First World War in the Marne is the reason behind this itinerary lined with monuments, ruins,

cemeteries and ossuaries, evidence of the fierceness of the fighting, as well as museums which ensure that the First World

War, which finished on 11 November 1918.

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The battles of the Marne

Around Reims, the martyred city

Suippes and the Champagne front

Argonne and the red zone

Packages

page 11Events 2010

51120 MondementT (0)3 26 80 37 30www.mondement1914.asso.fr

In the form of a gigantic 35.5 metre high milestone, the monument commemorates the first battle of the Marne, fought in September 1914. At the base of the monument, a sculpted bas-relief represents the generals who commanded the army during the battle. On the top, engraved in stone, is the Order of 6th September 1914, signed by Joffre.

Free access to the monument. Museum open from June to September on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Created in 1996 by the Association Mondement 1914, the Mondement History Museum, which is devoted to this first battle of the Marne, is housed in the former village school.

> Mondement, the Monument to the Victory of the Marne

Parc du Château - 51700 DormansT (0)3 26 59 14 18 - F (0)9 71 41 12 82www.tourisme-dormans.fr

Set in the heart of the grounds of Dormans Castle, this building is the largest memorial dedicated to the soldiers who fell during the battles of the Marne. It includes a crypt, a chapel and an ossuary containing the remains of a thousand soldiers of all nationalities. Breathtaking views over the Marne Valley from the wall walk.

Open from 1 April to 11 November, every day from 2 pm to 6 pm as well as Sundays and bank holidays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Outside these times or for groups, by prior arrangement.

> Dormans, the memorial of the battles of the Marne

N 48° 47. 161’ E 3° 46. 547’

N 49° 04. 285’ E 3° 38. 796’

> More info

> More info

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The building is the venue for numerous exhibitions which look at the First World War. The large museum area presents objects and photographs from the Great War and an impressive collection of craftwork from the trenches.

On the road,

> The Italian cemetery of Bligny-Chambrecy - 51170 ChambrecyThe largest Italian cemetery located on the French front. Here are buried the Italian soldiers who engaged as volunteers in the French Army, killed in the Argonne and on the Champagne front.

> The military cemeteries of Marfaux - 51170 MarfauxOne of the largest Commonwealth cemeteries in the region. It brings together the remains of 1,114 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 15 New Zealand soldiers.

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On the road,

> The German cemetery of Berru - 51420 BerruHolds the remains of more than 17,000 German soldiers (including 4,500 in the ossuary). Near the cemetery, the woods still bear the mark of the shell holes and the trench network set up by German troops.

> More info

Reims Tourist Information Office 2, Rue Guillaume de Machault51100 ReimsT (0) 892 701 351 (0,34 €/mn) - F (0)3 26 77 45 19www.reims-tourisme.com

During the First World War, 80% of Reims was destroyed by German bombing. On 19 September 1914, a bombing raid set fire to the roof of the Cathedral of Notre Dame: the devastating heat melted the bells and lead in the windows, and shattered the cathedral stone. Battered by four years of war, the Cathedral was restored with the financial support of generous donors, a number of American foundations in particular.

Audio-guided tours.

> Reims, the martyred cityN 49° 15. 212’ E 4° 01. 987’

The tourist information office sells a Pass’ Mémoire that includes an audio guide tour dedicated to the reconstruction of the years 1920-1930 as well admission to the four history museums in Champagne.

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> More info

RD 944 (Direction Châlons-en-Champagne)51100 ReimsT (0)3 26 49 11 85 - (0)3 26 35 36 90

At the gateway to Reims, the Musée du Fort de la Pompelle is the Champagne region’s most important museum devoted to the First World War. It contains displays with a great many soldiers’ belongings, collections of sabres, mannequins clothed in the different uniforms of the French, German and Allied armies, including those of the Russian Expeditionary Force. The museum has a rich artillery collection, from the famous French 75 cannon to the small trench mortars known as crapouillots. It also has a room devoted to aviation.

Open: From 1/11 to 31/03, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 1/04 to 31/10: on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., on weekends and bank holidays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Closed Tuesdays and from 24/12 to 06/01.

> The Fort of PompelleN 49° 12. 981’ E 4° 07. 757’

The centrepiece of the museum is the collection of 560 helmets from the Imperial German army, known as the Friese collection, unique in the world in terms of size and diversity.

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On the road,

> The military cemetery of Sillery - 51500 SilleryCreated to house the bodies of French soldiers from the numerous municipal cemeteries in the nearby area, as well as the temporary cemeteries that were set up behind the front throughout the duration of the war.

> Mont-Sinaï Observatory of Verzy - 51380 VerzyOn the edge of the ridge, a bunker is home to the observatory created after the liberation of Reims in 1914, from where General Gouraud observed the German positions.

> More info

4, Ruelle Bayard - BP 31 - 51601 Suippes cedexT (0)3 26 68 24 09 - F (0)3 26 66 30 59www.marne14-18.fr

Have your fingerprints taken… and become one of the actors, man or woman, soldier or nurse, who took part in the conflicts of the First World War. Using biometric terminals, you will follow the testimony of the figure assigned to you for the duration of your visit. Excitement guaranteed. Through this original interactive presentation showing the human side to the conflict, Marne 14-18 presents a whole array of documents (film footage, photographs, objects).

Open every days from February to November, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in July and August, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. the other months. Closed in January and December, Easter Monday, 1 May, 14 July and 1 November.

> The Great War Interpretation centre of Suippes

N 49° 07. 912’ E 4° 31. 910’

The 15 May 2010, the Interpretation centre proposes, as part of the Night of Museums, an Armed Forces concert party with meals served off the trolley.

> More info

RD 21 - L’Espérance51600 Saint-Hilaire-le-GrandT (0)3 26 66 17 25 - www.ascerf.free.fr

This commemorative chapel is dedicated to the 6,100 Russian soldiers who fell in France. Built in 1937 on a plot given by the French state to Russia, this amazing building, surrounded by a small Orthodox cemetery, stands out from its surroundings thanks to its white walls and its golden and blue domes. The adjacent cemetery, which is on French territory, is where around a thousand Russian soldiers who were part of the brigades who came to fight on the French front from 1916 onwards are buried.

Unrestricted access. Chapel open from 15 April to 15 November on Sundays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on August.

> Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, the Russian Chapel

N 49° 09. 482’ E 4° 23. 980’

Behind the cemetery, at the edge of the wood, in amongst the pines and birches, stands an Orthodox monastery built of logs.

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51600 Souain-Perthes-les-Hurlus

The Crouée cemetery is the largest necropolis in the department of Marne. It contains more than 30,000 bodies over around 60,000 m². A long tree lined avenue leads to the cemeteries located on the hills overlooking the village. Other cemeteries can be seen here in Souain. For example, the cemetery of the 28th brigade and its amazing tombs, evocative of Celtic cromlechs, surrounding a large limestone cross. You can also reach the small cemetery of the Opera along a narrow lane which runs alongside the Suippes camp enclosure. After the war, nothing remained of the villages located in the heart of the red zone, which had all been razed, buried or destroyed. To ensure their memory lived on, their names were added to the names of nearby villages.

> The military cemeteries of Souain and destroyed villages

N 49° 11. 229’ E 4° 32. 405’

> More info

RD 977 (between Souain and Sommepy-Tahure)51600 Souain-Perthes-les-HurlusT (0)3 26 66 82 32

Located at the very heart of where the Battle of Champagne raged, this monument commemorates the fighting of October 1914 and September 1915. It was built in 1924, at the initiative of General Gouraud, the Commander of the IVth Army, to honour the fallen soldiers of the armies of Champagne. The monument overlooks a vast panorama of the former Champagne front, and much of the surrounding land still bears the scars of the fighting: trenches, traverses, craters, etc.

Free access to the monument. Chapel open from March to October on Fridays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., at weekends and bank holidays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

> The Navarin War MemorialN 49° 13. 114’ E 4° 32. 543’

At the top, a sculpture depicts three patrolling soldiers in the guise of General Gouraud, Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, the son of the President, who died in 1918 in the Tardenois, and the brother of the sculptor who fell on the Chemin des Dames.

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> More infoThe remains of lost villages of Suippes Camp can be seen during exceptional days scheduled in summer or autumn, for 2010, the 12th of September.

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On the road,

> Séchault German military cemetery - 08250 SéchaultThis cemetery houses the bodies of more than 6,000 German soldiers, around 3,000 of whom are unknown.

> More info

51600 Sommepy-TahureT (0)3 26 66 81 14www.abmc.gov

The Mont-Blanc site is a former German observatory which saw more than 6,000 American soldiers perish. All the bodies and tombs were later assembled in Romagne (Meuse), but a monument was erected by the U.S. government in the 1920s on the battlefield itself. The summit of the monument provides splendid views, enabling visitors to envisage what the battlefield looked like and to spot the remains of trenches.

Unrestricted access to the monument, reception on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

> The Blanc-Mont American Monument

N 49° 17. 049’ E 4° 32. 176’

On 26 September 1918, French and American troops began the liberation of Sommepy. The village, which had been completely destroyed, rose from its ashes thanks to the determination of its inhabitants and funds from America. A Memorial Centre, located on the first floor of the Town Hall, retraces the history of this reconstruction.

> More info

51800 Massiges

When they retreated in September 1914, the Germans sought refuge on this natural high spot where the Champagne and Argonne fronts meet. Its shape resembles a hand, and each finger was a bastion of this natural fortress. Both the French and the Germans dug countless tunnels here. The front-line soldiers would pass in front of the statue of the Holy Virgin in the village. The left breast of the statue was struck by a bullet and a swarm of bees found shelter in the hole. The soldiers, impressed by this rebirth, christened the statue the Bee Virgin.

> The Hand of Massiges N 49° 11. 916’ E 4° 44. 548’

The land of the Hand of Massiges has remained in the same condition with the First World War mines and trenches. It also offers fine views over the Argonne, the Meuse and the Ardennes.

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On the road,

> Harazée military cemetery, Vienne-le-Château51800 Vienne-le-Château

The cemetery is built on a hillside and surrounded by the Gruerie Woods, which for 4 years were the scene of some of the fiercest trench warfare. The cemetery houses the remains of 1,600 soldiers.

On the road,

> The military cemetery of Minaucourt-le-Mesnil-les-HurlusLe Pont de Marson - 51800 Minaucourt

Set close to the Hand of Massiges, this huge cemetery stretches over more than 40,000 sq m and contains more than 20,000 bodies.

> More info

RD 63 (between Vienne-le-Château and Binarville) 51800 Vienne-le-Château T (0)3 26 60 49 40www.argonne.fr

Gruerie Wood is the scene of many vestiges of the fighting of 1915. Apart from the remains of trenches, visitors can also discover a German rest camp, known as the Moreau Valley, in which many of the facilities have been restored (showers, bedrooms, etc). The Pays d’Argonne Visitors Centre also organises guided hikes for visitors to discover other vestiges in the area.

Guided tours of the camp on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

> Vienne-le-Château, the Gruerie Wood and Camp Moreau

N 49° 11. 509’ E 4° 53. 156’

Also worth a visit is the Chapel erected by soldiers close to the village magnolia, a bloody tree under which 60 French soldiers were killed when a shell dropped nearby.

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This trip will immerse you in the heart of the Argonne Forest, the historical heart of the First World War. You will stay at the Tulipier hotel-restaurant in Vienne-le-Château, close to the former battlefields of the Argonne, the scars of which are still visible today. Back at the hotel, you will enjoy the comfort and quiet of your room before tasting the dishes prepared by the chef using local market produce.

> BreakMémories of Argonne

Enquiries and bookings : Hôtel-restaurant le TulipierRue Saint-Jacques51800 Vienne-le-ChâteauT (0)3 26 60 69 90 - F (0)3 26 60 69 91www.letulipier.com

> More info

This trip will take you to Reims, the City of the Coronations of the Kings of France, which suffered so much during the First World War. You will discover the city, its cathedral and museums thanks to an audio-guided tour (several tours available) and a discovery pass which includes admission to the city’s various museums.A cellar visit with champagne tasting at a major Champagne House is also on the programme.

Enquiries and bookings : Office de Tourisme de Reims2, Rue Guillaume de Machault - 51100 ReimsT (0) 892 701 351 (0,34 €/mn)F (0)3 26 77 45 19www.reims-tourisme.com

> 3 days / 2 nights From 87€ / personin double room

> More info

Valid all year. Includes the stay in a 2-star hotel restaurant with breakfast, a discovery pass, an audio guided tour, a cellar visit with a wine tasting and half a bottle of champagne per person.

> BreakEscape in Champagne

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> 2 days / 1 night From 120€ / personin double room - in half board

Valid all year. Includes a night half board with the dinner (not including drinks), the accommodation and the breakfast.

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Comité Départemental du Tourisme de la Marne13 bis, Rue Carnot - BP 74 51006 Châlons-en-Champagne cedexT (0)3 26 68 37 52 - F (0)3 26 68 46 45www.tourisme-en-champagne.com

Office de Tourisme du Pays d’Argonne Champenoise5, Place du Général Leclerc - 51800 Sainte-MénéhouldT (0)3 26 60 85 83 - F (0)3 26 60 60 18www.argonne.fr

Office de Tourisme de Châlons-en-Champagne3, Quai des Arts - 51000 Châlons-en-Champagne cedexT (0)3 26 65 17 89 - F (0)3 26 65 35 65www.chalons-tourisme.com

Office de Tourisme de Châtillon-sur-Marne4, Rue de l’Eglise - 51700 Châtillon-sur-MarneT (0)3 26 58 32 86 - F (0)3 26 51 87 85www.otchatillon51.com

Office de Tourisme de Dormans - les Coteaux de la MarneParc du Château - 51700 DormansT (0)3 26 53 35 86 - F (0)3 26 53 35 87www.tourisme-dormans.fr

Office de Tourisme de Reims2, Rue Guillaume de Machault - 51100 ReimsT (0) 892 701 351 (0,34€/min) - F (0)3 26 77 45 19www.reims-tourisme.com

Office de Tourisme de Sézanne et sa régionPlace de la République - 51120 SézanneT (0)3 26 80 51 43 - F (0)3 26 80 54 13www.sezanne-tourisme.fr

Useful Adresses

This brochure is published by the Champagne-Ardenne Comité Régional de Tourisme.

Bibliography- Cimetières militaires et monuments aux morts de la Grande Guerre de la Marne, Alexandre Niess. Collection Itinéraires du Patrimoine, DRAC, éditions Guéniot, 2005

Photos and thanksG Fontaine, JP Husson, M Joly, M Jolyot, F Lesjean, G Paté (collection CDT Marne), J Philippot (SRI, région Champagne-Ardenne).Our grateful thanks to the sites, the museums and tourism offices for the many photos supplied. Designed by : CRT Champagne-ArdenneCartography : www.cap-orientation.com

www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.comFind all of the historical and memorial sites in Champagne Ardennes, as well as a range of accommodation and activities and the programme of events and holiday ideas in the region.

www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.frThe Website of the Ministry of Defense

www.crdp-reims.fr/memoire/lieuxWebsite of the Champagne-Ardennes Regional Educational Documentation Centre, sites of remembrance in Champagne-Ardennes

www.memoiredufront1918.frWebsite of the National Veterans and Victims of War Office: the events and places of remembrance of 1914-1918.

On the Web

Here is just a selection. For a more complete list of events, please see

the «Useful addresses» section, or visit the above websites : www.

tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com

In the spring: Tribute to the Russian expeditionary force at

Pompelle Fort, to mark the year of Russia in France.

Information : T (0)3 26 49 11 85

15 May: Cabaret Evening in Suippes

As part of the Night of Museums, an Armed Forces concert party will

play Marne 14-18 with meals served off the trolley.Free admission,

paying meal, booking compulsory.

Enquiries and bookings : T (0)3 26 68 24 09

www.marne14-18.fr

20 June: Commemorative ceremony at the Navarin monument

4 July: Commemorative ceremony of the Two Battles of the Marne

in DormansInformation : T (0)3 26 59 14 18 - www.tourisme-dormans.fr

12 September: Exceptional days of villages of Suippes Camp

Renseignements : T (0)3 26 63 71 01

From September to October: Itineraries Festival

The Marne Département Council and the Institut de France invite you

to explore the heritage of Marne by means of an artistic programme

drawn up by the National Theatre in Châlons, La Comète.

Information : T (0)3 26 69 56 41 - www.marne.fr

5 September: Ceremony to mark the 96th anniversary of the Battle

of the Marne at Mondement

18 and 19 September: European Heritage Days

The churches and historic buildings of Champagne-Ardenne open

their doors and host conferences, exhibitions, ...

Information : T (0)3 26 70 36 50

www.culture.gouv.fr/champagne-ardenne

Events 2010

50, avenue du Général Patton - BP 5031951013 Châlons-en-Champagne cedex - France

T (0)3 26 21 85 80 - F (0)3 26 21 85 90www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com

contact@tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com

Europe supports the development of the trails and circuits in Champagne-Ardenne

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REIMSPass’ Mémoire

The Reims Tourist Information Office proposes the Pass’ Mémoire, for access to the main First and Second World War sites in the region.

Priced €16 per person, and valid for one month, it includes the audio guide «1920-1930, reconstruction and Art Deco in Reims»

circuit and admission to the following sites: Marne 14-18, the Suippes Interpretation Centre, the Museum of the Surrender, the La Pompelle

Fort Museum and the military history section of the Saint Remi Museum.

www.reims-tourisme.com

Discover the testimonyof the Great War

Reims Tourist Information Office 2, Rue Guillaume de Machault

51100 Reims T (0) 892 701 351 (0,34€/mn)

F (0)3 26 77 45 19www.reims-tourisme.com

www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com