Located on the top of a hill in the middle of the forest of Retz, the General Mangin’s observation tower is 25 metres high and is open to visitors since 2018.
The General Mangin’s observation tower
The tower is the replica of the one used by General Charles Mangin who led a major battle in July 1918: the counter-offensive of Villers-Cotterêts.
Unfortunately, the original tower was destroyed during a storm in 1924. A year later, Charles Mangin died and in 1926 a memorial to commemorate the tower has been erected in the forest.
Between 2017 and 2018, to commemorate the centenary of the battle of July 1918, it has been decided to rebuild the tower and to turn it into a cultural place opened to visitors.
Consequently, the tower has been designed like an outdoor museum dedicated to both nature and WW1 history.
Today the tower is open to visitors daily, from sunrise to sunset and offers one of the highest panoramas over the forest of Retz, the farming lands and the Vallée de l’Ourcq.
All contents inside the tower are available in French, English and Dutch. Free access, daily, from sunrise to sunset.
Guards Grave Cemetery
From this point you can also enjoy three hikes including one dedicated to the First World War which will lead you to the Guards’Grave Cemetery where 98 British soldiers are buried
Back at the very beginning of the war, these brave soldiers fought long and hard in these woods to stop the German progression toward Paris and save their fellow comrades and allies who were retreating.
The General Mangin’s observation tower
Route du Faite
02600 PUISEUX-EN-RETZ (C3)