Travel Guide Le Quesnoy

At the edge of the Mormal forest, the charming town of Le Quesnoy is nicknamed "the pearl of the Avesnois". Yet its history is one of sieges, battles and even fires! Its fortifications, built in 1150 by the Count of Hainaut, Baudouin IV, known as Le Bâtisseur, inspired Vauban, who wasted no time in reworking them. The Pré Carré, actually oval in shape, 8 km long and 1.1 km wide, is the largest fortified area in northern France, and the second largest after Carcassonne. Today, it is laid out as a series of footpaths, including the "sentier des Arbres des Remparts", planted with a wide variety of tree species. While in Le Quesnoy, you can also visit the cellars of the Château de Marguerite de Bourgogne and the region's typical bandstand. Listen to the forty-eight-bell carillon in the Hôtel de Ville belfry, which plays a different tune every quarter-hour. You're sure to recognize "Auprès de ma blonde" and "L'hymne à la joie"! Last but not least, Le Quesnoy still maintains close ties with New Zealand, for it was thanks to the courage of the brave Kiwis led by the no less courageous Leslie Averill, who scaled the ramparts of the southern sector, that the town was liberated on the evening of November 4, 1918. A New Zealand monument commemorating their courage has been erected on the site of their exploit. There's even a school named after Doctor Averill!