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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The clearing of the Armistice, located in the forest of Compiègne near the station of Rethondes, was chosen in 1918 by Marshal Foch for his discretion and isolation. Two parallel railway spurs, originally used for heavy artillery transport, allowed the trains of the French and German delegations to be installed. The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was signed in Foch's lounge car, ending World War I. The site, close to Aisne and the town of Compiègne, became a symbol of victory and peace.

Between 1922 and 1937, the clearing was designed by architect Marcel Magès and writer Binet-Valmer to make it a memorial. A 250-metre driveway leading to an oval esplanade was marked, bordered by memorials, including an engraved central slab and a statue of Marshal Foch, inaugurated in 1937. The car of the Armistice, originally exposed to the Invalides, was installed there in 1927 thanks to the patronage of Arthur Henry Fleming. The site attracted visitors from all over the world, celebrating the memory of the soldiers and the liberation of Alsace-Lorraine.

On 22 June 1940 Hitler imposed the signature of the second armistice in the same wagon, before having the site dynamited and the monuments destroyed. The commemorative slab was broken, and the wagon, transported to Germany, was burned in 1945 by order of Hitler. After the Liberation, the clearing was reconstructed identically in the 1950s, with a similar wagon and fragments of the original slab reported from Germany. The memorial, classified as a historic monument in 2001, remains a major memorial.

The monument to the Alsatians-Lorrains, by Edgar Brandt, represents a German eagle buried by a sword, symbolizing the French victory. This memorial, destroyed in 1940 and restored, recalls the role of soldiers in the reconquest of lost territories. The clearing, integrated into the national estate of the Château de Compiègne in 2022, now hosts a museum dedicated to the two armistices, attracting about 100,000 visitors annually. Its history reflects the upheavals of the twentieth century and the importance of preserving collective memory.

Future

The site was built in 1922 by architect Marcel Mages in collaboration with the writer and veteran Binet-Valmer, president of the League of Section Heads, to become the symbol of Victory and Peace.

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