Retz forest

A high historical place!

Even isolated in the heart of Nature, the great History is never far away.

This forest was indeed, since 1914, at the heart of the fighting of the Great War. French, British and Germans were many to lose their lives there during the conflict.

Today you will still notice in the detours of your walks, witnesses of this history as military cemeteries, steles or memorials.

The most impressive witness of the First World War on the territory is undoubtedly the faithful reconstruction of General Mangin’s observation tower, a place not to be missed, during a walk in the forest with the children.

In July 1918, General Mangin launched from a high tower 25 meters high, the Allied counteroffensive that precipitated the end of the Great War.

Today that tower has been reconstructed to its original form, and you can now climb to its top to admire the entire area, sailing over the canopy as if on an ocean of plant life.

The ascent of the tower is punctuated by many activities and educational panels and sound recordingsthat will allow your children to gain a better understanding of the nature and riches of the Retz en Valois territory!”