Vauclair Abbey Ruins, Bouconville-Vauclair, France

Vauclair Abbey was a Cistercian monastery located in what is now the commune of Bouconville-Vauclair.

The monastery was built about 15 kilometers to the south of Laon in an east-west stretch of the Ailette river valley at the foot of the northern side of the Chemin des Dames, on a site already occupied by a church, in the present commune of Bouconville-Vauclair. The site was ceded to Bernard with all its rights and dependencies. On 23 May 1134 a group of monks from Clairvaux Abbey, headed by the Englishman Henry Murdac, its first abbot, took possession of the new abbey, the 15th daughter house of Clairvaux. Its favourable east-west orientation led Bernard to name it Vauclair (Vallis clara), reversing the name of the mother abbey (Clara vallis). Supported by gifts from rich families, the abbey quickly prospered and was given several estates and farms.

In 1142, on the initiative of Bernard and of Hatto, bishop of Troyes, Le Reclus Abbey north of Sézanne was made subsidiary to Vauclair. In 1167, at the request of Henry I of Champagne, count palatine of Champagne, Vauclair Abbey sent monks to found La Charmoye Abbey not far from Épernay. The Hundred Years' War and the 16th-century French Wars of Religion heavily damaged Vauclair, though it managed to survive until the French Revolution in 1789, when it was finally demolished and sold as 'national property'. Its geographical location very near to the Chemin des Dames led to what was left of its buildings being almost totally destroyed in 1917 by direct artillery bombardment. Only ruins now remain.

Following excavations in 1966 by a local association led by a young Belgian Jesuit, Père René Courtois, who lived in the abbey from 1966 until his death in 2005, the site was made a monument historique in 1970. The site now also includes an arboretum of apple and pear trees and a medicinal herb garden planned by Courtois and opened in 1976.

References:

Wikipedia

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.

The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.

The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.

Rian Gonzales-de Ravel (12 months ago)
An overall wonderful experience. It was easy to navigate the area with maps provided and signs leading you precisely where you're looking for! A nice to walk with ypur dogs also ?

Chris Bradfield (14 months ago)
A lovely, silent retreat. An easy cycle if you're staying at Center Parcs.

Kathryn Jones (14 months ago)
Very cool ruins, public toilets available

William Stein (2 years ago)
I tasted the 6.1 percent ale.It is quite good, reminding me of Jeanlin,a bit bitter, could make a nice beer if kept longer.

sheena chapman (2 years ago)
Set in a beautiful walk, surounded by the gardens in winter. Really happy with the large picnic tables near the parking area ??

Vauclair Abbey Ruins

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