Lusigny-sur-Barse

In the heart of the Orient Forest Regional Park, enjoy the discovery of Lusigny-sur-Barse and its many hidden treasures! You will see, you will want to stay in this village much longer!

Located around twenty kilometres south-east of Troyes, the village has just over 2,300 inhabitants and is a gateway to the magnificent lakes of the Orient Forest.

Colours, scents and atmosphere are different across the seasons (sporting atmosphere in summer, mycological in autumn, pyrotechnic in spring – believe it, it is a real olfactory firework display…), the warmth and dynamism of its shops… In short, do not wait any longer to set off and discover this amazing heritage through this treasure hunt!

 Enjoy your walk, pay attention to the details, you can do it!

It symbolises the Path of the 2^nd DB (“Division Blindée” in French, meaning Armoured Division), which follows the route taken by General Leclerc’s 2^nd Armoured Division during the Liberation of France, from its landing in Normandy on the 1^st of August 1944 at Saint-Martin-de-Varreville (Utah Beach – Manche) to the capture of Strasbourg on the 23^rd of November 1944. All along this route and in each of the towns and villages liberated by this prestigious unit (16,000 men, 4,000 vehicles), a marker commemorates the fulfilment of the Koufra oath taken on the 2^nd of March 1941 in Libya:

“Let us swear not to lay down our arms until the day when our colours, our beautiful colours, fly over Strasbourg cathedral…”.

The milestones feature a number of symbols, including the torch of the Statue of Liberty, the small “A” for the Patton army (make sure that you find the right one), the 48 stars of the American banner (Alaska and Hawaii were not yet part of the USA), the insignia of the 2^nd Armoured Division, the inscription “voie de la 2ème DB 1944-1945” and the distance between Saint-Martin-de-Varreville and each milestone.

At the corner of the square, you will see a half-timbered house. Although this house was restored a few years ago, many of the typical architectural features of half-timbered houses remain, such as the plinth, the corbelled joist, a turnbuckle, etc.

St Andrew’s crosses (X-shaped crosses) were also used. The name comes from the shape of the cross that was used to torture Saint Andrew. This assembly of 2 crossed pieces provides greater rigidity to the panel and brings other benefits (for example, it prevents rolling and deformation of the framework).

Look out for the magnificent alley “ruelle de la Grivoise” on your left.

On your right is a work of art overlooking the canal…

Photo credits : © Olivier Douard for Troyes La Champagne Tourisme

This former presbytery, known as the “Maison Emile Simonnet“, pays tribute to the Abbot Simonnet (1913-1990), who was particularly involved in the village life.

In the garden, you will discover an agricultural machine that was once used to separate the grains from the many undesirable items collected at the same time (dust, bad seeds, etc.).

Saint-Martin church was built in the 16th century and redesigned in the 19th century in a similar style.

Weighing between 15 and 20 kg, cast-iron coachmen’s signs indicated 2 or 3 directions and were placed about 2.5 m above the ground so that they could be seen by the coachmen in their carriages. They first appeared in the 16^th century and were initially made of wood.

For more information

You have now reached the end of this walk. We hope that discovering Lusigny-sur-Barse has enabled you to understand the keys to a little-known “small heritage”.

Feel free to take part in other treasure hunts in the other villages of Troyes La Champagne, and if you would like to suggest new questions or quizzes, we would be delighted to hear from you.

If you have a few more minutes to spare, head to the “Avenue du 28 août 1944” opposite the gendarmerie. You will discover something very special: the house with the bone wall.

Its origins remain a mystery, although several theories are circulating. Some have sought to link it to customs attested in other regions where bones were used as tools, to support trellises or to ward off bad luck.

Others are convinced that this specificity is linked to the French campaign of 1814. Not far from here, in Courteranges, a historic episode took place: the defence of the Guillotière bridge by Napoleon’s army against the Bohemian army. During this confrontation, 400 enemy horses were killed by Napoleon’s cannons placed on the heights of La Guillotière. A few months later, a resident of Lusigny-sur-Barse, anxious to build his house wall solidly, came up with the idea of using the horses’ femurs to support his construction.

Today, we can still see many femur heads protruding from the wall, making it an exceptional dwelling of its kind, over 200 years old.

See you soon for more adventures!