Around Braye-en-Laonnois

Here you are in front of the monumental entrance to the Oise–Aisne Canal tunnel (the exit is on the other side of the Chemin des Dames, in the commune of Chevregny).It was dug during the Third Republic, in the 1880s, with the underground passage stretching just over 7.5 km.A true technical feat for its time (compressed air was used here for the first time in France to pump out water)!And you should know that it is also known as the ‘Napoleon Tunnel’. Nowadays, you will frequently come across barges carrying grain or fertiliser...

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Braye-en-Laonnois, originally built in the 13th century (the sanctuary and choir), has undergone numerous alterations and suffered damage over the centuries. Indeed, it was completely razed to the ground in 1917 during the Battle of the Chemin des Dames, and its reconstruction took place between 1928 and 1932, though none of the original building’s elements were reused as had been planned.It was destroyed once again during the fighting in the spring of 1940, the bell tower having been used by German soldiers as a machine-gun post...  

This monument was erected in 2008 in front of the entrance to the Froidmont quarry, on the heights of the commune of Braye-en-Laonnois, to commemorate the presence of the US 26th Division (known as the ‘Yankee Division’) from February to March 1918.The division trained for combat there before moving on to the theatres of operations at Château-Thierry, as well as Argonne and Alsace. The monument also pays tribute to the famous dog Stubby, the division’s mascot and the most decorated animal of the First World War, the only one to have been promoted to sergeant and who was received by the President of the United States in person!