Attractions and Places To See around Brognon - Top 20

Taking a vow of a simple life, the Trappist monks of this Cistercian abbey devote themselves to prayer and manual labor. A farm, a brewery, and a cheese dairy have been established around the monastery.

The Auberge de Poteaupré, brasserie-restaurant-hotel at Espace Chimay, is the ideal place to taste the products of Scourmont Abbey and the Chimay region. Located near the Notre-Dame de Scourmont abbey, it has welcomed its guests in a warm and rural atmosphere for more than 100 years. The dishes are a mix of tradition and gastronomy, and the lively atmosphere is reminiscent of an English pub where beer and Chimay cheese are served.

The bunker is called " Bloc de limite No. 551

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 witness to the Maginot Line. Historical explanation: The purpose of the line was to protect France against a surprise attack such as that which had occurred in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in which France had lost Alsace and part of Lorraine to Germany. When Alsace and Lorraine came fully back to France after the First World War, the old defenses were not only outdated, but also located too far from the new border. Moreover, France had lost so many soldiers in the First World War that the borders could not be adequately defended without additional measures. The French Minister of War Paul Painlevé was the driving force behind the line, but eventually his successor and war veteran André Maginot submitted the plan for construction to the French Parliament in 1930. His project costing 2.9 billion francs (today: 1.5 billion euros) took a heavy toll on the French economy, precisely at a time of economic crisis. However, defense against Germany was considered vital, especially when Adolf Hitler came to power. In addition, it provided 20,000 jobs and electrified the border areas. Source: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginotlinie

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