The best cycling routes around Véry

This impressive American WWI memorial was dedicated in 1937 to commemorate the victory of the American First Army during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (26 September – 11 November 1918). The 54-metre-high Doric granite column, designed by John Russell Pope, is topped by a statue symbolising liberty. The monument stands on the hill of Montfaucon, where a medieval monastery once stood and where the Americans achieved a strategic victory in 1918.

The Monument aux Morts of Épinonville is a memorial erected around 1924, in memory of the inhabitants of the village who died during the wars. The monument bears the names of fourteen soldiers from the First World War and one from the Second World War. The statue shows a "Poilu" – a French infantryman – in the characteristic blue-grey uniform, a common symbol on French war memorials. The monument is also the focal point for commemorations, such as the annual ceremony on 11 November, to mark the Armistice of 1918.

A beautiful winding view.

Église Notre-Dame – Varennes-en-Argonne Originally built in the 12th and 13th centuries, this church was destroyed during World War I and carefully rebuilt with its distinctive neoclassical tower and 18th-century façade2. Inside, you’ll find a mix of ancient art and more modern elements, including a 12th-century Vierge à l’Enfant, colourful stained glass windows by Jacques Grüber and a 20th-century organ.

The Nécropole Nationale de la Forestière in Lachalade is a military cemetery that keeps alive the memory of the soldiers who died in the First World War. This serene memorial was created in 1915 and later expanded to collect the remains of soldiers who fought in the Argonne region between 1914 and 1918. Today, 2,005 soldiers rest there, and the cemetery is famous for its blue, pink and white hydrangeas, planted by the Comtesse de Martimprey in tribute to her missing husband. The site has been classified as a World Heritage Site since September 2023, and nearby is a monument to the Italian volunteers who fought in the Argonne, including the grandsons of Giuseppe Garibaldi

Aubréville – Peace and memory in the Argonne Between forests and battlefields lies Aubréville, a peaceful village where nature slowly covers the traces of the past. Ideal as a stopover for those who love silence, history and a touch of rural charm on the edge of the Argonne forest. 🌳⛪🪖

Musée d'Argonne – Varennes-en-Argonne A surprisingly versatile museum in the heart of the Argonne! Discover the place where King Louis XVI was arrested, delve into the daily life of the region with crafts, and come face to face with tangible traces of WWI — including a gun swallowed by a tree. An atmospheric, compact stop full of history near the impressive Pennsylvania Monument. 🏛️🌳🇫🇷

This bell tower, also called the "Tour Louis XVI", marks a key historical moment: it was here that King Louis XVI was arrested on 21 June 1791 during his failed attempt to escape from revolutionary France. Built in 1793 on the site of the choir of the old Saint-Gengoult church, the tower has been listed as a historical monument since 1989. A silent witness to a turning point in French history.