Discover Badonviller

Badonviller brings together the history of faience, architectural history, First World War memorial sites and a hiking route with specific trail details. If you are looking for a hotel in Badonviller, you can consider whether you would like to focus your stay on crafts, memorial sites or a hike. These different themes offer various ways to explore the history of the town.

Church and the history of faience

The Église in Badonviller has been protected as a historic monument since February 14, 1921. Its main construction phase took place in the second half of the 18th century. This means that its construction and protected status belong to distinctly different historical periods. The date gives the church its own architectural-historical point of reference, alongside the memorial sites shaped by the First World War.

The Maison du Patrimoine in Badonviller brings together pieces from the Pexonne and Badonviller faience factories in its permanent collection. The focus here is not on a single building, but on faience from two manufactories. Admission is free. Live demonstrations of faience-making techniques are held during the summer season. Check the current program and admission information before your visit, as the offering is seasonal and admission arrangements may change.

First World War memorial sites

The Nécropole Nationale in Badonviller holds the remains of 2,653 French soldiers from the First World War, as well as 28 French soldiers who fell between 1939 and 1945. A sculpture there commemorates those killed at La Chapelotte. It originally stood at the Col de La Chapelotte and was later moved to this memorial site. The Nécropole is open daily throughout the year; check access conditions again before your trip.

Another memorial site is the Monument du 358ème R.I. It was erected in 1924 in memory of the infantrymen who fell in this area between February 1915 and June 1916. The monument stands at the site of the Village-Nègre, a former French encampment near the front. The Nécropole holds the remains of those killed, while the monument commemorates a regiment and a specific period of fighting. The relocated sculpture, in turn, keeps the memory of those killed at La Chapelotte alive at another memorial site.

Hiking the Circuit des vallées

The Circuit des vallées starts in Badonviller at the Monument du 358 RI on the D992. The route is 11 kilometers long and includes 290 meters of elevation gain. Along the way, it passes the Grotte des Poilus, which served as a medical station during the First World War. This brings specific trail details and another historic site together on the same hiking route. Distance and elevation gain are two different factors to consider when planning; check the trail markings and conditions before setting out.

The starting point at the monument links route planning to a memorial site whose history extends beyond the hike: it was erected in 1924 for the infantrymen who fell between February 1915 and June 1916. Along the route, the Grotte des Poilus offers another connection to wartime, this time at a place that served as a medical station. These different commemorative connections give the hike a historical context, while the distance and elevation gain provide practical details for your trip.

For your stay, you can consider the permanent faience collection, the summer demonstrations, the memorial sites and the hike as different points of interest. This lets you choose Badonviller based on the themes that interest you most, without reducing the sites to a single historical perspective.

Discover more destinations: Bainville-aux-Miroirs, Maizières, Longwy, Thiaucourt-Regniéville, Baccarat, Pont-À-Mousson, Méréville, Villers-Lès-Nancy

For the broader travel overview: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.