Attractions and Places To See around Prez - Top 16

Very nice building with large picnic tables for a break

Liart is a small village in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of France. It has about 600 inhabitants and is located 35 km from Charleville-Mézières, the capital of the department. Liart is known for its Church of Our Lady, which is a notable example of Gothic architecture in the region. The church was built between the 13th and 16th centuries and has a beautifully carved portal, an impressive organ and a richly decorated interior. The church has been classified as a historical monument since 1913. Another attraction in Liart is the museum of the Ardennes red turkey, a local species that was threatened with extinction and was saved thanks to the efforts of some passionate breeders. The museum tells the history and characteristics of this bird, which is a symbol of the Ardennes identity and gastronomy. The museum also organizes tours of the farms where the turkeys are raised.

Located in the heart of the territory of the commune of the Ardennes Thiérache, near the forest of Pothées, it was recognized by the Charter of Milon de Nanteuil in 1208. Crossed by the departmental road 8043 halfway between Charleville-Mézières and Hirson and 10 minutes from the A304 it is a lively town center with various shops, businesses, artisans and services. A dozen sports and cultural associations animate Maubert-Fontaine all year round. Maubert-Fontaine is home to many monuments: Saint Nicholas Church, with inside the war memorial, sculpted by a Mauberian, Henri Migeot; Fountain; the private high school, with its lime tree, which was requisitioned by the Germans as a hospital during the 14/18 war; the war memorial; the Stele of Saint Remi. From this, along the forest alley of the dead girl, we arrive at the crusher where in 1915 the Germans exploited important quarries. Several personalities originating from Maubert-Fontaine have passed through the history of France and their names have been given to certain places: Jardin Bidois, former Jean-Marie Carré college. Other important characters were part of Maubert's story, such as Nicolas de Caruel and Napoleon Bonaparte who came to rest at the Hôtel du Grand Turc on the night of Waterloo. The proximity of the forest allows beautiful walks with certain points of interest: the 2-legged oak and the oak of the Franco-Belgian friendship. In the town you will find various sports facilities for all ages: playground, multi-sports ground, petanque ground, fitness room, sports complex, fishing pond. Source: https://www-ardennes--thierache-com.translate.goog/fr/directory/entry/maubert-fontaine?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=nl&_x_tr_hl=nl&_x_tr_pto=sc

This church was dedicated to Saint Peter (Saint Pierre). Simon, nicknamed Petrus (rock), was a fisherman on Lake Genesareth when he - together with his brother Andreas - was called by Jesus Christ to be a "fisherman of men". According to the Catholic understanding he is the highest apostle, and the two millennia long line of popes - currently Francis - are in his successor. On statues and paintings Peter is almost always shown with two keys in his hand, this attribute refers to the Bible verse in Matthew: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; what you will bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you will loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven ”(Chapter 16, verse 19). Together with Paul, Peter is also known as the "princes of the apostles", their common feast day in the saints' calendar is on June 29th.

Saint Martin, to whom the church of Aubigny-Les-Pothees is dedicated, is - next to Saint Nicholas - probably one of the most popular saints of all. The memorial day of the former officer in the Roman army is November 11th. On the night after the famous “coat sharing”, when he surrendered half his army cloak to a freezing beggar, Jesus Christ appears to him in a dream. He then converted to Christianity and was later elected Bishop of Tours (France) - initially against his will.

This church is very striking because of its tower. Some parts of the current church appear to have been repaired in the 13th century. The choir may have had a pointed arch, as is still the case in the northern arm of the transverse chief. The classical church hall indicates that certain changes took place in the 17th century, probably after the fire in the village in 1642. The sundial on the south side of the nave bears the year 1611. Source: at the church on information board

Two Merovingian cemeteries from the sixth and seventh centuries were discovered on the territory of the municipality. During the Hundred Years War the village was besieged by the Armagnaks. Aubigny-les-Pothées was burned to the ground in 1643 at the Battle of Rocroi. At the beginning of the First World War in 1914, the village church served as a simple hospital. The church was built in 1851. Source: Wikipedia

A first castle, probably founded in the 13th century, adjoined the Potées estate, which belonged to the Reims cathedral chapter. A group of Armagnacs settled there in the 15th century and over time spread across the region. Duke Antoine de La Marche, who was governor of Sedan from 1599 to 1640, became lord of L'Echelle through his marriage to Anne de Maucourt in 1594. He rebuilt the castle to give it a more up-to-date appearance. The square stilt in the northwest corner dates from this period. Antoine de La Marche des Contes died in September 1740 at the age of 74. On September 28, 1642, at dawn, Spanish troops sacked the village and attacked the castle. The walls of the castle still show the traces of the cannon balls. In 1730, L'Échelle Castle was acquired by the Reims Cathedral Chapter, and the building was subsequently rededicated as a farm. During the French Revolution, the building was sold to Simon Pottier, the hat maker from L'Echelle. He then handed over a large part of it to the community, installed the town hall as well as the school and the teachers' accommodation. Part of the residential buildings of the north wing have been converted into a school history museum, for the nostalgic community (the elementary school from the 1900s to 1960s), with the inkwell, the sergeant major pens (which preceded the pens), the slates, etc. Source: according to Wikipedia