Château de la Croix Piot

The Château de la Croix Piot, located in Donchery (Ardennes) at the foot of the strategic Marfée massif, has left its mark on history on several occasions. On 31 August, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, King William of Prussia set up his headquarters here, accompanied by Bismarck and Moltke. Legend has it that, from this spot, Wilhelm observed the heroic charges on the Illy plateau during the battle of 1ᵉʳ September and uttered the famous words, ‘Oh! les braves gens.’ In 1914, during the First World War, French artillery positioned at Croix Piot repelled German attempts to cross the Meuse on wooden bridges.