Travel Guide Lagarde

The bishops of Metz built this village. In 1638, it was devastated by the Swedes. Until the closure of the Moyenvic and Lezey salt works, a floating channel was used to transport wood from the Réchicourt-le-Château forest to Lagarde. The logs were then transported by cart over the 6 km separating Lagarde from Ommeray where they were conveyed by another channel. In 1871, the town of Lagarde, which had become part of the German Empire, was renamed Gerden. The French took over Lagarde at the beginning of the First World War. On August 11, 1914, a terrible battle left nearly a thousand people dead and Lagarde returned to German hands before becoming a French commune again in 1919. During the Second World War, the site was once again confronted with violence. From June 16, 1940, during the Battle of France, two days of heavy fighting opposed the Poles of General Duch's 1st Grenadier Division to German forces. Then during the Lorraine campaign in September 1944, during the violent fighting between General Knobelsdorff's 1st army and General Patton's 3rd army. Today Lagarde keeps the memory of these battles (German and French cemeteries, memorial) while developing river tourism around its canal, its marina and boat rental without a licence and its bucolic environment. Located in the Lorraine Regional Nature Park, near the Center Parcs des Trois Forêts, the Rhodes and Parroy ponds, with a charming harbour, Lagarde is a popular holiday destination for city dwellers in Nancy (45bkm), Strasbourg (100bkm) and Metz (65bkm). Its proximity to Luneville and its castle, Sarrebourg and its chapel of the Cordeliers decorated by Chagall, the Georges de la Tour museum in Vic-sur-Seille or the Salt Museum of Marsal, makes it a major tourist attraction. In addition, there is the possibility of numerous hiking or cyclo-tourism excursions in the surrounding area.