Maison Forte - Château de la Moncelle

A modest Lords manor from the 12th century, La Moncelle changed hands many times before becoming part of the Principality of Sedan. It then became a country house of the La Marck and La Tour d’Auvergne families in the 16th and 17th centuries. At the end of the 18th century, it belonged to the Montagnac Lords. La Moncelle was not spared in the Franco-German wars and suffered greatly in the combat in the Givonne valley on the 1st of September 1870. The heroic resistance mounted by the French forces that day between la Ramorie and Montvillers against the Saxons and Bavarians who overwhelmed them was very costly. For several days after, the corpses were buried in hastily prepared graves or in local cemeteries. The monument Souvenir Français to be found in the centre of this cemetery was erected to the memory of approximately 300 brave defenders, who gave their lives for France on the 1 September 1870. To one side you can see the graves of two Saxon officers. One can hope that the reconciliation between two historical European enemies will be an example for the world.