Haucourt’s history is reflected in a range of themes: the village’s Art Deco-influenced reconstruction heritage and its places of remembrance for the First World War. Other attractions include the watering troughs and the woodland around the former château. These features point to different aspects of the place—from architecture and local history to commemoration.

Reconstruction and Art Deco

Haucourt is one of five villages in the Communauté de Communes Osartis-Marquion to have been awarded the “Village Patrimoine®” label. The village’s reconstruction heritage is considered representative of the Art Deco style. The Church of Saint-Michel in Haucourt and the former Café Lourdeaux at the entrance to the village are part of this heritage. They offer specific architectural points of reference: a church and a former café, both associated with the reconstruction of the village. Those interested in architecture can therefore appreciate Haucourt through more than a single building. The unifying theme is its Art Deco heritage shaped by reconstruction; the two buildings mentioned are distinct examples of it.

Other attractions in the village

The attractions also include Haucourt’s watering troughs and the woodland around the former château. These features offer different perspectives: the watering trough is a named individual feature, while the woodland is linked to the surroundings of the former château. Alongside the village’s architectural history, they highlight a local detail and a connection to the landscape. The watering troughs and woodland offer different points of interest from the Church of Saint-Michel and the former café, which belong to the reconstruction heritage. This distinction makes it easier to tell apart Haucourt’s local themes when deciding what to focus on.

Cemetery and memorial: two forms of commemoration

The Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery in Haucourt lies north of the main road between Vis-en-Artois and Haucourt. It contains 2,369 graves, including 885 identified casualties. The Vis-en-Artois Memorial bears the names of 9,813 English, Irish and South African soldiers who fell in the Somme and Artois between August and the Armistice and whose bodies were never recovered. The cemetery and memorial therefore have different focuses. The figure of 2,369 refers to graves at the cemetery, while 9,813 refers to names on the memorial. This distinction helps put the two places of remembrance into context without combining graves and names into a single figure.

Include local history in your plans

Haucourt’s village guides know the local stories of the village. If you would like to include their perspective in your stay, check in advance whether it is possible to meet with them. Local knowledge adds another way to explore the village’s history alongside its architectural and historical themes, without having to treat the different attractions as if they were the same.

Whether Haucourt fits your travel plans depends mainly on your interest in its reconstruction heritage, places of remembrance or other attractions.

Discover more destinations: Fiennes, Equihen-Plage, Colembert, Villers-Châtel, Douvrin, Richebourg, Beuvrequen, Bailleul-Sir-Berthoult

For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.