| history
in the neighbourhood of La Calestienne |
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In Brûly-de-Pesche,
at 14 km from La Calestienne, hidden in an uninterrupted forrest of
12.000 hectares, there is the "Grand Quartier Général allemand
1940", better known as the Bunker of Hitler. From here out Hitler commanded his invasion of
France in june 1940. One pavilion traces the progress of this invasion, a
second pavilion pays a tribute to the regional resistance. Hereby the
bunker of Hitler himself has been conservated and also the adaptations at
the church, the presbytery and the other buildings in the surroundings are
illustrated. |
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Philippeville,
at 18 km from La Calestienne, has been a fortified city with a pentagonal
ground plan, but like most of the other cities of this type, the
fortifications have been demolished with the independance of Belgium in
1830. Ten kilometers of the Underground Galleries of Philippeville have been conserved, from which a
part is now accessible for public. Before visiting these galleries you can
see a movie about Philippeville at the Syndicat d'Initiatives et du
Tourisme. |
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In contradiction with (among others) Philippeville and
Mariembourg in Belgium, fortifications in France have not been
demolished systematically. This makes you can walk around the Fortified
City of Rocroi; for a reconstruction of the Battle of
Rocroi you can visit the local museum. |
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The Military
Fortress Charlemont in Givet in France has been built in the
sixteenth century by the emperor Charles to protect his empire against
France. Later on this fortress has been annexed by france and adapted by
Vauban. Nowadays this fortress is a training centre for french
paracommandos, but part of it you can visit during summertime. |
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The Castle
of the Prices of Chimay, at 18 km from La Calestienne,
has been the residence of the family de Croÿ. Several
rooms are used for the exhibition of memorabilia reflecting the blue
blooded relationships of the habitants. A small theatre for two hundred
persons, has been named "petit théatre Tallien" after a
heroin of the French Revolution who maried for the third time in 1805,
that time with a Caraman-Chimay, where through she got the title of
princess. |
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On the touristic route of fortifications in the northern part of France
you can cross the ruins of the Castle Ruins of Montcornet. Once this has been an
impressionnant fortified castle in hands of the family de Croÿ, just like
the castles of Chimay and Beaumont, but this one has been dismantled in
the eighteenth century. |
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