The best traffic-free bike rides around Butte de Montsec

The Meuse Canal is not perfectly straight like many French canals from the 19th century.

very nice route, sometimes gravel but also doable with cycling.

A very beautiful lake, well worth a visit. I first visited it in 1993 on a tour of Lorraine. Mirabelle plums are grown everywhere nearby, and they also produce very good mirabelle plum schnapps.

On the hill of Montsec in France stands this impressive memorial, erected by the United States in honor of the American troops who broke through the German St. Mihiel salient in September 1918. The monument, a classical colonnade with a bronze relief map in the center, offers a panoramic view of the former battlefield. It symbolizes the cooperation between the French and American armies and commemorates the more than 550,000 American soldiers who took part in this first major, independently led American offensive operation of World War I.

The former German military cemetery of Altenweiher was located near Saint-Mihiel in the Meuse department, a region that was badly affected during the First World War. The cemetery was built by the German troops to bury their fallen soldiers in the area, often near field hospitals or strategic positions. After the war, many of these smaller cemeteries, including Altenweiher, were cleared and the remains transferred to larger collective cemeteries such as those at Consenvoye or Andilly, as part of a wider regrouping of German war graves by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge. Today, little remains of Altenweiher, but it stands as a quiet reminder of the scale of human loss in this region.

A beautiful late 16th century mansion located in the heart of Saint-Mihiel. Once owned by the noble Gondrecourt family, this building was later modified in the 18th century. The Renaissance-style facade and U-shaped courtyard are evidence of the wealth of the time. 🕰️ Historical fact: In 1424, Duke René I of Anjou and Isabella of Lorraine stayed here. Duke Leopold of Lorraine also stayed there in 1698. 📍 Location: 16 rue Larzillière-Beudant, Saint-Mihiel 🏷️ Status: Private property, but the exterior is visible from the street. Occasionally accessible during European Heritage Days.

Founded around 708 by Count Wulfoalde, this Benedictine abbey became an important religious and cultural centre in Lorraine. The abbey was under the protection of Charlemagne and flourished under Abbot Smaragdus in the 9th century. Today, you can still visit the abbey church of Saint-Michel, home to the masterpiece La Pâmoison de la Vierge by Ligier Richier. The 18th-century monastery library houses thousands of ancient works and is one of the most beautiful in the region.

This monumental pediment is the remains of the former Colson-Blaise cavalry barracks, built from 1777 and extended in 1842. The pediment, with its sculpted motifs, once adorned the main façade of the complex. Since 1929, it has been protected as a historical monument. Today, the pediment lies loose on the ground, as a silent witness to the military history of Saint-Mihiel.