Mémorial de la Clairière de l'Armistice

A crossroads territory at the heart of the Great War, a strategic département and the last rampart before Paris, Oise was also the first département to become French again, hosting the signing of the armistice at Compiègne, which became the symbol of Victory and Peace.

The Clairière de l'Armistice, a quiet spot in the heart of the Compiègne forest, suddenly became part of history, symbolizing for the whole world the end of hostilities in the Great War, the end of four years of appalling conflict.

It was the night of November 10, 1918, and the railroad carriage, used by Marshal Foch as an office car, had been parked since the evening of November 7 on a double track that the French artillery had laid during the war. The Marshal received the Germans there on November 11th at 2.15am, who agreed to sign the Armistice at 5.15am. The agreement took effect "on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 a.m. precisely"

While the original wagon is gone, destroyed on Hitler's orders after the vengeful Armistice of 1940, its twin hides nothing of the crucial moment, and reveals where the various personalities were positioned at the moment of signing.

Next to the wagon, the armistice memorial museum houses almost 800 black-and-white stereoscopic photos, providing striking evidence of the lives of the poilus, mobilization, Verdun and the Victory Day celebrations.

DATAtourisme France