WAR TOURS IN NORD PAS DE CALAIS

Chateau de Dohem is well placed for those who want to day trip and visit some of the historic monuments and battlefields of World Wars I and II. Below are just a few suggestions.

It’s easy to see that history is alive in Nord Pas-de-Calais. Travelers venturing into this region in the north of France will find old-world architecture, a wide array of European influences and plenty of memorials and sights from World Wars I and II.

The hills of France were scene of some of World War I’s bloodiest battles. Although the beauty of this regions countryside is enjoyed by thousands of tourists every year, thousands of soldiers lost their lives amid its fields in the early 1900s. Those looking to delve into the past and get up close with history and remember the fallen will find plenty of places to do so on a tour of Nord Pas-de-Calais.

Canadian National Vimy Memorial

This 250-acre Canadian National Vimy Memorial site served as battlefield for the historic Battle at Vimy Ridge during World War I. It is the perfect place to settle in for a history lesson and learn about the connection between the Americas and Europe in the earlier part of the century. Today it serves as a memorial of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Members killed during the war. Visitors can explore wartime tunnels and trenches, then wander through memorials and cemeteries while on a tour to this historic battlefield.

Remembrance Trail

This scenic trail lets travelers hike, bike or walk through some of World War I’s most famous sites. The path winds past the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, the Lochnagar Crater and even the Somme Canal, which was used for transporting wounded soldiers during the war.

Lochnagar Mine Crater Memorial

The Lochnagar mine crater on the 1916 Somme battlefields in France is the largest man-made mine crater created in the First World War on the Western Front. It was laid by the British Army’s 179th Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers underneath a German strongpoint called “Schwaben Höhe”. The mine was exploded two minutes before 07.30 am Zero Hour at the launch of the British offensive against the German lines on the morning of 1st July 1916.

Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery

Once dugouts for battalion headquarters, this World War I memorial is home to more than 7,600 graves of fallen soldiers who died during the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the war in Arras. It serves as a connection between France and Canada, as more than 40 of the North American country’s soldiers are laid to rest here.

The Somme

Another popular day trip is to the Somme in Northern France. To most people the Battle of the Somme signifies one day – July 1st 1916. It was the day that the British Army suffered its greatest ever losses in a single day with nearly 60,000 casualties. There are many poignant sites here, including the incredibly well preserved Beaumont Hamel battlefield site.

PRE 20TH CENTURY WARS

The Battle of Agincourt

Visit the Medieval Visitor Centre at Azincourt and learn the history of this deadly battle.

Fought during The Hundred Years War the Battle of Agincourt is a name that evokes one of the most disastrous and deadliest battles in medieval France! Among the 6000 French knights killed, were five counts and 90 barons, due to the might of the English archers longbows and arrows that were rained down on them. It was fought in a clearing located between the woods of Azincourt and Tramecourt and it is difficult to realize when visiting the site that this was where the French nobility was almost annihilated during the 15th century.