Longuyon reveals itself through a wide variety of traces: religious buildings, the history of the railway and ironworking, First World War memorial sites, and trails around Étang de Profonde Fontaine. Options range from a visit by appointment to a hike with a stated walking time of three hours. When choosing the town for a stay, you can decide how to balance cultural history with time outdoors.
Church, Chapel and Grotto
The tower of Sainte-Agathe Church is Longuyon’s oldest monument. The present church building dates back to the end of the 13th century at the latest. Visits are available daily by appointment, either individually or in groups. A 20-minute audio tour is offered in French, English and German. As visits are by appointment, it is advisable to confirm arrangements before travelling.
The chapel of the former college of the Brothers of the Christian Schools also tells the story of Longuyon’s religious past: it was built in 1887. The Grotte de la Vierge was created in 1900 by students in the final year at the institution run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and is modelled on the grotto at Lourdes. The Glacière des Frères stands on the hillside along the path to the grotto and remains intact; its entrance is closed.
The Glacière is a natural refrigerator, 6.50 metres deep and four metres in diameter. The Brothers of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de La Salle built it in the 1890s to store supplies for the boarding school. Ironworking can also be traced through specific details: the Dorlon blast furnace, built in 1692, had a stamping mill that crushed slag to recover iron.
Railway History and Remembrance
Le Wagon is a former SNCF railway carriage that houses the Longuyonnais Tourist Office. The town’s railway history dates back to 1854, when the railway station was established and the Longuyon–Longwy railway line opened.
Several memorial sites commemorate the fighting at Longuyon-Noërs. The Mémorial du Vieux Pré is dedicated to the French and German soldiers who fell in battle on 23 and 24 August 1914. Longuyon German Military Cemetery is the resting place of 1,756 First World War soldiers: 1,748 Germans and eight Frenchmen. Some of them died on 24 August 1914 in the Battle of Longuyon-Noërs. The French military cemetery contains 60 individual graves of French soldiers; a monument commemorates those killed in the fighting on 23 and 24 August 1914.
Rivers, Wildlife and Hiking Trails
The Crusnes and the Chiers flow through Longuyon and meet there. Outside the town, on the edge of the forest, lies Étang de Profonde Fontaine. The site is a recreational area with numerous bird and other animal species, and hiking trails start there. There is also a car park at the Profonde Fontaine site in Longuyon.
Another hiking option with a stated distance is the Sentier de Revémont: the trail is 11 kilometres long, marked with a green ring, and has a stated walking time of three hours. Route details may change, so check them before setting out. For comparison, two different durations are given: 20 minutes for the audio tour at Sainte-Agathe and three hours of walking for the Sentier de Revémont. This helps you distinguish a short audio tour from a longer hiking trail.
Discover more destinations: Joppécourt, Briey, Neuves-Maisons, Essey-Lès-Nancy, Maxéville, Pompey, Nancy, Liverdun
For the regional travel overview: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.
