The forest of Compiègne and the glade of Armistice

 

Popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders, the Compiègne Forest covers almost 40,000 acres that are criss-crossed by over 1,000km of roads, paths and trails.

Linking idyllic hidden villages, the Château de Pierrefonds, restored by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, and Compiègne itself, this lush forest has long been a favourite destination for kings, emperors and commoners alike.

However, this peaceful, relaxing escape from the pressures of the 21st-century can also lay claim to having witnessed two of the most momentous events of the last century. And November 2018 will see the centenary of the Compiègne Forest’s most famous moment in the spotlight of history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps it would have been more fitting for the representatives of the two great armies to have marched out into the Western Front’s no man’s land for the ceremony that brought the ‘war to end all wars’ to an end. For the very document itself to bear witness to the destruction wrought across northern France over the preceding four years of cataclysmic war.

Instead, the location for the signing of the Armistice, was altogether more tranquil. Albeit the event itself was no less momentous. At 5am on the morning of November 11, 1918, a quiet railway siding in a clearing of the Compiègne Forest, some 90km north-east of Paris, saw the leaders of the warring powers assemble in a railway carriage, part of Allied supreme commander Ferdinand Foch’s private train, to witness the ceremony that would silence the guns of the Great War six hours later at 11am. 

 

 

 

To be witness to one such momentous event would certainly have secured the Compiègne Forest’s place in history. However, less than a quarter of a century later, the world’s eyes would once again focus on this ancient forest. 

In altogether more desperate circumstances, on June 22, 1940, a fleet of swastika-bedecked cars bearing Adolf Hitler and his German High Command swept into the clearing. After taking time to contemptuously study the inscription on the WW1 Alsace-Lorraine monument, with its talk of a defeated Germany, the Fuhrer clambered aboard the self-same Wagons-Lits carriage to take the surrender of France; the orchestrated theatre of the event and setting not lost on those present.

Never one to miss the historic significance of his actions, Hitler ordered the destruction of the Armistice site, and arranged the carriage’s transfer to Berlin, where it was lost in the chaos of April 1945.

 

Today the peaceful beauty of the Glade of the Armistice in the Compiègne Forest stands in stark contrast to its role in history. As the centenary of the end of WW1 approaches there has surely been no better time to visit this remarkable place? To reflect on the events the forest bore witness to. To feel the very breathe of history.

Ahead of the centenary celebrations the site has benefitted from a programme of expansion and redevelopment and is set to reopen to the public this spring.

Visitors can explore an identical railway carriage, from the same train, now showcased in a setting that alternately immerses visitors in the hours of dawn and dusk. Originally installed at the site in 1950, having been refurbished to the exact specification of the one destroyed in Germany, it is the centrepiece of the newly-expanded museum dedicated to the events that took place here. With a new 3D screening room and an exhibition room dedicated to the aviator Georges Guynemer, the museum gives a fascinating insight into the events that linked the two armistices. Alongside the rebuilt monuments, the overall effect is one of pure historic symbolism; the tranquillity adding to the mythology.

 

 

 

In the heart of the Compiègne Forest is the medieval village of Saint Jean aux Bois, where you will find the Auberge A la Bonne Idée, a three-star hotel and restaurant. Close to the 750-years-old ‘Saint-Jean’ oak, said to be the oldest tree in the forest, guests of A la Bonne Idée can saviour the very finest French cuisine, courtesy of Michelin-starred Chef Yves Giustinani. A constantly changing menu, to take advantage of the fresh market produce, is certain to satisfy hungry travellers after a day exploring the Compiègne Forest.