Attractions and Places To See around Auvillers-Les-Forges - Top 20

Very nice building with large picnic tables for a break

This casemate is typical of that encountered along the Maginot Line. This fortification line was built in the 1930s to prevent a German invasion. The casemates of the La Neuville-aux-Joutes forest mainly served as shelters for troops and locations for machine guns and light artillery.

The phenomenon of fortified churches and farms is typical of the Thiérache region. In the 16th century, the churches took over the role of protecting the population against the conquests of the French and the actions from Flanders. With cattle and all, people were sometimes locked up for weeks.

The Sint-Niklaaskerk is a very beautiful model of a fortified church on a spacious square with a music kiosk. The exterior is warlike in appearance, with a large square portico tower, dotted with embrasures, above the western portal, brick watchtowers at the corners of this tower, and other watchtowers on the arms of the transept. The walls of the tower are 3 m thick at the base and are made of quartz slate. The choir is equipped with a gatehouse that further reinforces the defensive vocabulary of this construction. The church was built at the end of the 17th century. After the previous one was burnt down by the Spaniards in 1636.

Silent witnesses of the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line was a French defense line constructed between 1930 and 1938 on the borders with Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany in the north and with Italy in the south. The purpose of the line was to protect France against a surprise attack such as that which had taken place in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in which France had lost Alsace and part of Lorraine to Germany. When Alsace and Lorraine became part of France again after the First World War, the old defenses were not only outdated, but also too far from the new border. Moreover, France had lost so many soldiers in the First World War that its borders could not be adequately defended without additional measures. French Minister of War Paul Painlevé was the driving force behind the line, but ultimately his successor and war veteran André Maginot submitted the construction plan to the French parliament in 1930. His 2.9 billion francs (today: 1.5 billion euros) project placed a heavy burden on the French economy, especially at a time of economic crisis. However, defense against Germany was considered vital, especially when Adolf Hitler came to power. In addition, it created 20,000 jobs and electrified the border areas. Source: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginotlinie

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

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.

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