http://arras-france.com/olhain-castle-northern-france/

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Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere

This wooden gear wheel used to make the compactors turn in order to crush the wheat. It was built around 1,200 AC.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere

It is the best preserved medieval castle in northern France and represents one of the most beautiful jewels of the region’s historical heritage.

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This imposing castle was built in the hollow of a small valley, in the middle of a natural pond in which the river ‘Lawe’ flows into.

It is believed that the knight Simon d’Olhain built it first from 1179, probably a simple wooden keep. His son, Hugues, built the primitive castle when he returned from a crusade in 1202. The construction of the castle recommenced in 1239, when his son Jean d’Olhain added a castral chapel. This chapel was probably built in the courtyard of the castle but did not leave any trace as the castle was destroyed and burnt to a large extent during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453). It is only in the XIX century that a chapel in the castle was mentioned, which was preserved in the south-east tower. In 1280, Jean’s son, Jean II d’Olhain, founded in Verdrel a chapel dedicated to Saint Eloi. Finally, the lineage of the Olhain lords ended with Robert’s son, Jacques d’Olhain, since the only heiress of the property, Marie d’Olhain, married Jean de Nielles.

Jean de Nielles undertook the reconstruction of the castle from 1407. He also played an important role for the Duke of Burgundy, Jean Sans Peur. He started by advising him before becoming in-charge of the management of the Duke’s finances. He also became the Second President of the Accounts Chamber of Lille, the Duke’s Chamberlain and the governor of Arras in 1407. On 20th June 1407, Jean Sans Peur gave him oak trees from his wood in Wault, near Houdain, which allowed him to start the castle fortification. Jean de Nielles died a bit before 1423. He was inhumated in the church of Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen. His tombstone is located in the inner courtyard of the castle.

The castle was then entrusted to his first daughter, Marie de Nielles, who married Baudouin de Lannoy, a knight of the Golden Fleece and governor of Lille. He is said to have constructed the big towers or at least to have finished their construction. Marie de Nielles died in 1433 without descendence. Then the castle’s inheritance passed on to her sister Alix de Nielles, who for her second wedding, had married Jean de Berghes, leader of the King’s Hunting and knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (the most prestigious distinction of Burgundy). When Alix de Nielles passed away, the castle’s inheritance passed on to her son, Jean de Berghes. This is how the Olhain property passed to the Berghes family till 1900.

From 1521 to 1529, the Spanish Emperor Charles Quint, a staunch Catholic, confiscated the castle. As Phillippe de Berghes, the then owner of the castle, and his family belonged to the French side and were Protestants; they could not reside in the castle. Only after their conversion to Catholicism, they got their property back but preferred to live somewhere else.

Around 1634, under French king Louis XIII and Richelieu started the Thirty Years’ War against Spain and the Emperor of Germany. In 1641, the governor of Arras seized the castle with about sixty riflemen from the Champagne Regiment and massacred all the Spanish soldiers who were there. In 1654, the Spanish troops recaptured the castle and blew up the two towers that were located in the fourth side of the castle enclosure. They have never been rebuilt.

Around 1700, Louise de Berghes married the Count “d’Artagnan”, governor of Arras (cousin of the famous King’s Musketeer). He is said to be buried in the middle of the castle’s inner courtyard. In 1710, the castle was once again besieged, and occupied by the Dutch at the time of Béthune’s capture. Ruined and burnt, the castle was restored from 1830 to 1843 and became the second home of the de Berghes family. In 1870, the last lord, Pierre Marie de Berghes, a 20-year-old Squadron Leader was killed during a cavalry charge. Since then, the castle was abandoned.

The castle was sold by auction in Paris. On 26 May 1900, it was bought by Mr Dartois. The land was to be sold with the castle, which was regarded as a ‘burden’. Mr Dartois entrusted the property to his nephew, Mr Jules Dutoit.

The Olhain castle was occupied by troops from the beginning of the First World War. For 4 years, troops and horses from the French, English and Canadian armies successively occupied the castle, as well as the outbuildings, farming buildings and neighbouring meadows. Numerous marks in the right and left wings of the castle testify these successive occupations. Multiple inscriptions from the soldiers are still visible in the attics of the right wing while the first floor of the left wing is riddled with bullet holes.

One of the observation posts.

At the end of the war, Jules Dutoit resumed the restoration work he had started. He started by doing up all the roofs, which had been left in a very poor condition. He also cultivated the lands and improved, little by little, the left wing where he resided with his family. In 1930, he built a house incorporated to the body of the farmyard, where the owners of the castle have been living since then.

Till 2004, it was Jules Dutoit’s son, Mr. Paul Dutoit, who was in charge of the castle’s maintenance and restoration work. During the Occupation, he started by draining the pond in order to repair all the immersed walls and continued to maintain the castle with great care. Today, it is his descendants who take care of the castle with the same passion.

Olhain castle’s drawbridge.

The castle, entirely made of sandstone, comprises two parts that are clearly separated: a farmyard, with its oval shape, and the castle itself. The castle was added to the Historical Monuments’ inventory in 1989. It has been opened to the public since 1954 for seven months a year:

- From April 1st to June 30th, and from September 1st to October 31st: on Sundays and public holidays from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm.

- From July 1st to August 31st: on Saturdays and Sundays from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere

• The visitors will be able to walk along the water-filled moats, and to visit the farmyard and the castle: inner courtyard, chapel, vaulted caves, keep (101 steps) with its rooms at different floors, its attics and the observation post. There is a small fee for the visit: (4 € for the adults) and free for the accompanied children (till 12 years old). This amount is entirely meant for the castle’s maintenance. An average visit would take about 1.15 hour. It is not guided. A leaflet is distributed at the entrance to help the visitors. For buses/adult groups and schools, the castle is open the whole year after making an appointment. Ph: +33 (0)1.39.18.33.14 or +33 (0)3.21.27.94.76.

• Access to Olhain castle :

1) from Arras :

- Take the road D341 in the direction of Bruay and go through Mont-St-Eloi.
- Carry on till Camblain-l’Abbé and continue on the road D341.
- Cross the village of Estrée-Cauchy.
- At the entrance of the Gauchin-Legal village, turn right in the direction of Ohlain.
- At the stop sign, turn right toward Fresnicourt.
- At the top of the hill, turn right at the isolated house. The castle is about 100 metres away.

2) from Lille :

- Exit from Lille and take the A1/E17 in the direction of Lesquin/Lens/Reims/Paris/Douai/Centre Commercial/Centre Régional de Transport
- Passing near to Seclin
- Passing near to Carvin
- Take the A21 following the sign notice Douai/Lens
- Exit from A21 direction “Bruay la Buissière” and carry on the D301
- Passing near to Hénin-Beaumont
- Passing near to Lens
- Passing near to Bully-les-Mines
- Go through Hersin-Coupigny
- At the roundabout: turn left and carry on the D57.e
- Enter into Olhain and turn right and carry on D57. The castle is about 200 metres away on left.

For more information, you can visit the official website: http://www.chateau-olhain.com/

Photo by Jeffrey J. Soulliere

The construction of the Memorial required 11,000 tonnes of concrete and masonry for the foundations and 6,000 tonnes of limestone to construct the monument itself. It took 11 years to build it. Inscribed on the ramparts of the Memorial are the names of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers who were declared “missing and presumed dead” in France and have no known graves. A commemorative ceremony takes place every year on 9 April, the date of the battle’s anniversary.

In 1922, the land which contains the Vimy Memorial was granted by the French nation to the people of Canada in recognition of the sacrifices made by Canada during the First World War and for the victory achieved by Canadian troops when the Vimy Ridge was seized on 9 April 1917.

The Canadian Memorial of Vimy offers a spectacular view of the mining valley of Artois region, which was the context of violent and bloody fighting during the war.

The 110 hectare park surrounding the Vimy Memorial is adorned with 11,285 Canadian pine trees paying tribute to the 11,285 Canadian soldiers ‘missing and presumed dead’ during the First World War. Even today, the grassy ground is pock-marked with the depressions of mine-craters, shell-holes and mounds from the massive artillery bombardment which the Canadians used before seizing Vimy Ridge. Because the ground is still full of unexploded mines and shells, visitors are warned not to stray from marked pathways. By walking through the perfectly restored trenches and tunnels, the visitors can experience the significance of the task the Canadian Corps had to carry out to defeat the German troops.

Canadian Major-General Currie was sent to study the fighting methods of the French troops. The observations played a fundamental role in the progress of the battle. Lessons learned earlier in the war were used to develop an effective battle plan. Near Vimy, the Canadian soldiers underwent weeks of training on sites behind the front on terrain very similar to that on which they would be fighting. Miles of tunnels were dug through which troops could pass in readiness for the opening of the attack without coming under shellfire.

To provide greater flexibility and firepower in the battle, the infantry were given specialist roles as machine-gunners, rifle-men and grenade-throwers.

At dawn on the morning of Easter Monday 1917 – 9 April – at 5.30, the four Canadian divisions attacked together, for the first time in the Great War, under a freezing rain. The ground conditions were very bad, with slippery mud waiting to hamper the Canadians as they began their assault. There were countless acts of sacrifice as the Canadians charged machine-gun nests or forced the surrender of Germans in protective dugouts. After two hours of fighting, three of the four Canadian divisions achieved their mission but the 87th Battalion of the fourth Canadian division was seriously hit by the machine-gun nests and lost half of its men. In spite of all, the majority of the objectives was accomplished by the evening of the 9th April. The Canadian soldiers repulsed two counterattacks before seizing the last two places of resistance three days later. Defeated, the German army retreated by 6 kilometres.

The Canadian victory at Vimy, though minor on the military level, was the first victory of Canada as an independent nation.

For the first time in the Great War, all four Canadian divisions fought together on the same battlefield. Canadian valour and bravery brought about a fantastic victory, not only for Canadians but for the entire allied forces. Vimy Ridge proved to be a turning point in World War I. Canadians were an important part of this epic battle. One and half year later, the Great War was over.

Vimy’s facts in brief :

3,598 Canadian soldiers died during Vimy Ridge’s battle and more than 5,000 were wounded.

Each soldier carried 40 kgs of material, 2 grenades, 30 cartridges and earned 1.10 $ a day.

20,000 German soldiers were killed or wounded.

60,000 Canadian soldiers died during the Great War.

During the Second World War, Adolf Hitler visited the Vimy Memorial and its preserved trenches (June 1940). As the Allies had accused Hitler’s troops of destroying the Memorial, Hitler made the visit to demonstrate that the Memorial had not been damaged.

http://arras-france.com/the-canadian-memorial-of-vimy/

http://arras-france.com/the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-near-arras/

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere (picture above)

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere (picture above)

http://arras-france.com/the-canadian-memorial-of-vimy/

http://arras-france.com/the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-near-arras/

The park of Vimy.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere (picture above)

http://arras-france.com/the-canadian-memorial-of-vimy/

http://arras-france.com/the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-near-arras/

The trenches of Vimy. Visitors can walk in them.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere (picture above)

http://arras-france.com/the-canadian-memorial-of-vimy/

http://arras-france.com/the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-near-arras/

Visiting Vimy in winter will help you realize the severe winter conditions under which the soldiers had to fight the war.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere (picture above)