The Chaouïa lawn: between nature and history

This church was almost entirely destroyed during the fighting of 14-18 and rebuilt on the same site. In the adjacent cemetery, there are war graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell on the Chemin des Dames in 1914...

This is a former limestone quarry that was taken over by French troops during the First World War to create a command post at the rear of the front. Colonial Zouaves troops from Morocco were stationed there, hence the name given to the quarry (which can still be seen written in Arabic and French). The word "chaouïa" means "sheep breeder", and in the 1950s there were still many flocks grazing here, all of which have now disappeared. That's why nature has reclaimed its rights here, and why the Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels des Hauts-de-France is helping to preserve the site...