The best road cycling routes around Moulins

An Art Deco church, particularly representative of the revival of sacred art in the 1920s. A masterpiece among the churches of the Reconstruction period, visitors will be captivated by the frescoes, mosaics, stained-glass windows and superb bell tower supported by angels. Built between 1928 and 1932 under the direction of architect Paul-Albert Müller, the church is both modern and back to basics. The use of reinforced concrete, a material already used by some architects before the war, is combined with early Christian symbols such as the fish or the pelican

For its opening hours, the cathedral is open every day from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm and can be visited free, however, there is an audioguided tour for 7 €

The present Notre-Dame de Laon cathedral is the heir to an ancient building, built under the Carolingians and destroyed during the communal insurrection of 1112. Completed around 1235, the cathedral underwent a major restoration in the 19th century, and again in the 2000s. Note that since September 3, 2021, the building has been home to a “Blueberry of Memory” (a work of art by artist Matt Seaward) offered by the Bishop of Durham (UK) in memory of the soldiers who fell in the First World War.

Here, visitors will find an early masterpiece of Gothic architecture, a style often found in this part of France – Chartres and Reims, for example, attract enthusiastic international visitors and are far more famous than Laon. In the following 13th century, many Gothic churches were built, not only in their country of origin, France, but also beyond the country's borders, where this skyward-striving, light-filled architectural style was now in great demand for new churches (for example, the laying of the foundation stone for Cologne Cathedral in 1248).

During the First World War, Cerny-en-Laonnois was a strategic point along the Chemin des Dames, a ridge fiercely contested by French and German troops. In September 1914, the village was taken by the Germans, who used it as a defensive post. They dug deep underground networks in the limestone, which served as shelters and munitions stores. In the spring of 1917, the area became the scene of the Nivelle Offensive, a large-scale French attack that resulted in heavy losses and eventually led to mutinies within the French army. Cerny-en-Laonnois was completely destroyed by artillery fire and fighting. After the war, the village was rebuilt a little further south. Today, the military cemeteries, the memorial chapel and the “Lanterne des Morts” bear witness to the immense human suffering that took place here.

a silo on the edge of the canal very beautiful at sunset

Very few trains per day but by anticipating the time of the journey it is playable

Nice place