1606. One Louis de Gonzague, an Italian nobleman, wanted to move closer to France. On his wife’s land, he created a new city from start to finish, designed in the Italian style! His son Charles, a worthy heir, dreamt up Place Ducale, with its draughtboard pattern and its fine symmetry. He gave his name to this beautiful city and it quickly supplanted Mézières, which had become dated.

The Ardenne is dotted with real or imaginary traces of the four rebellious brothers. What does it matter if the Geste took place in Montauban, Dinant or Bogny-sur-Meuse, the forest of the Ardenne was in fact to be their only refuge. In Bogny, the rocky ridge, set in stone, evokes the speed of the four brothers, fleeing the anger of Charlemagne. This outstanding site is accessible via a path through the wood leading to a panorama dominated by the statue of the four brothers, sought throughout Europe by Charlemagne’s army.

The Celtic soul endures in the Ardenne… They say that these quartzite rocks may be the Cyclopean remains of a huge, ruined castle. Not true at all! Although this chaotic rock formation is perfectly natural, from prehistoric times it served as a bivouac. These days it is above all one of the loveliest spots in the region.

Walking here, you can smell sulphur.

A diabolical pact is said to have been made between a lord greedy for power and the devil himself. The former was to obtain a huge castle, the latter the soul of the lord, if the lord managed to complete the castle before the cock crowed.

Just as he was setting the last stone of the building, the cock crowed, signalling the dawn. Too late! Out of fury, Satan destroyed the castle he had just built, sending huge blocks of stone hurtling down the mountainside to the bed of the Semoy river.

Between Charlevilles-Mézières and Givet, the Meuse crosses the Ardennes massif in cheerful twists and turns. But in Monthermé, more than anywhere else, the loop to be seen from the Roche à Sept-Heures is geometrically perfect.

Also known as ‘Haybes-la-Rose’ or ‘Haybes-la-Jolie’, Haybes is a delightful place. The roofs tinted with pink or blue and the charming square in front of the town hall, as well as the nearby forest…. an entire heritage, be it architectural or natural, contributes to the special nature and the beauty of this commune.

Historians consider Mont Vireux to be the missing link in a little-known period that has left few traces. This oppidum represents a time when the world moved from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages: humanity changed radically as a result.

Guided tours of the camp / tourist office / groups / reservation.

Overlooking the town, on a steep rocky spur, the imposing Charlemont Fort dominates the landscape. Built on the orders of Charles V, this citadel covers a surface area of 60 hectares, with over 10 kilometres of ramparts, rising 100 metres above Givet.

In addition to its defensive role in time of war, Charlemont Fort was, in the more recent past, as of 1962, used by the military as a commando training centre or CEC. As such, it resumed the traditions of the 9th regiment of Zouaves. The so-called PAR courses included acclimatisation, climbing, escape, urban combat and other challenges.

Following the reorganisation of the National Defence ordered by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the military handed over Charlemont Fort to the municipality in July 2009.

Charlemont hosts events throughout the season, workshops and tours adapted for children, in addition to free and guided tours for all.
Leisure activities are also on offer: all-terrain electric scooter rides throughout the site; laser games, outdoors in the training village of the former Commando Training Centre; and since 2023, accrocommando, a unique experience right on the ramparts of Charlemont, a course inspired by commandos.

Opening times 2023: April to October, April-May-October weekends and public holidays, 10.30am to 5.30pm; June and September Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 6.30pm and July and August Wednesday to Monday, 10.30am to 6.30pm.
telephone: 03.24.56.96.87
e-mail: contact@charlemont.fr

22-24 place Ducale
BP 419
08107 Charleville-Mézières cedex
Tél. : + 33 (0) 3 24 56 06 08
www.ardennes.com

4 place Ducale
BP 229
08102 Charleville-Mézières cedex
Tél. : + 33 (0) 3 24 55 69 90
www.charleville-tourisme.com

Place du Château
08320 Vireux Wallerand
Tél.: +33 (0)3 24 42 92 42
www.valdardennetourisme.com

65 quai Edgar Quinet
08500 Revin
tél. : +33 (0)3 24 42 92 42
www.valdardennetourisme.com

Place Jean-Baptiste Clément
08800 Monthermé
Tél. : +33 (0)3 24 54 46 73
www.meuse-semoy-tourisme.com