Fontaine-Notre-Dame combines a 13.9-kilometre walking route rated easy with specific sites connected to local and commemorative history. If you are considering Fontaine-Notre-Dame as a destination, you can base your choice on two different interests: a tour through a wooded section and along the Noirieu, or the history of the village, which can be explored at several sites. The features below offer points of reference to help you decide whether the route or the history should be the focus of your stay.
Rural character with an urban connection
Fontaine-Notre-Dame combines rural character, the environment and quality of life with proximity to the urban centre of the Agglomération du Saint-Quentinois. If you are weighing both aspects when choosing a destination, the village’s profile offers a concrete point of reference. Another comparison is offered by choosing your focus: the walking route draws attention to the woods and the Noirieu, while the historic sites highlight the history of Fontaine-Notre-Dame.
Walking route along the Noirieu
The “Fontaine Notre Dame - le Noirieu - Fonsomme - Fontaine ND” walking route is 13.9 kilometres long and rated easy. It passes through a wooded section and along the Noirieu; on the way back, it follows the Chemin du Roi to Fontaine-Notre-Dame. The distance gives you a concrete figure for planning your day; whether it fits your plans depends on your own schedule. As trail conditions can change, check the route before setting out. For planning your route, the distance and difficulty rating are key; you can put the local history into context through its dates and named sites.
Sites connected to local history
The events of 27 August 1944 form a clearly defined focus of local history. Nineteen resistance fighters shot that day were buried in a mass grave. A plaque from the departmental network “Aisne Terre de Mémoire” was unveiled at the Fontaine-Notre-Dame memorial site on 25 August 2024. The two dates refer to different points in time: 1944 marks the historical events, while 2024 marks the unveiling of the plaque.
Two further details point to specific sites: the captured resistance fighters were lined up against the wall of the Abreuvoir Marolle. On the same day, 27 August 1944, a German column set up quarters at the Ferme Malin in Fontaine-Notre-Dame. The wall locates the events involving the captured resistance fighters, while the Ferme Malin marks where the column stayed; the memorial site is where the plaque unveiled in 2024 stands.
Statue of the Virgin Mary and parish
Other local points of interest are the statue of the Virgin Mary and the Église Nativité de la Sainte-Vierge. The old statue of the Virgin Mary stands at the edge of Fontaine-Notre-Dame, in the direction of Fieulaine, on Departmental Road 68. The direction and road number pinpoint its location more precisely. The Église Nativité de la Sainte-Vierge is a Catholic parish in Fontaine-Notre-Dame. Check separately for service times. These are two additional religious points of interest, distinct in form: a statue at the edge of the village and a Catholic parish.
Discover more destinations: Toulis-et-Attencourt, Sorbais, Braine, Estrées, Hirson, Wimy, Vermand, Oisy
For the wider travel overview: Aisne.
