Longuyon: Discover Church and Industrial History

Longuyon brings together churches and religious buildings, traces of railway and ironworks history, and First World War memorial sites. The Crusnes and Chiers rivers and paths through the landscape around the town add to its appeal. If you are looking for hotels in Longuyon, these different points of interest can help you choose what to focus on, whether architectural history, technology, remembrance or time outdoors.

Sacred Buildings from Different Centuries

The tower of Sainte-Agathe Church is Longuyon’s oldest monument. The present church building dates back at least to the late 13th century. Another landmark in the town’s architectural history is the chapel of the former College of the Christian Brothers, built in 1887. The Grotte de la Vierge was created in 1900: students in the graduating class of the Christian Brothers’ institution built it as a tribute to the grotto of Lourdes. Longuyon is therefore home to different forms of religious architecture and remembrance, from a church to a purpose-built grotto.

Sainte-Agathe Church can be visited daily, individually or as part of a group, by request. A 20-minute audio tour is available in French, English or German. If you plan to take this option, confirm the visiting arrangements before your trip. This visiting arrangement applies to Sainte-Agathe; it does not automatically apply to the other buildings mentioned.

Railway and Historic Technology

Longuyon’s railway history is also tangible: Le wagon is a former SNCF railway carriage that houses the Longuyonnais tourist office. Longuyon station was established in 1854, the same year the Longuyon–Longwy railway line opened. Both details place the railway in the town’s history, but do not in themselves provide information about current train services or visiting opportunities.

Another example of historic technology is the Glacière des Frères, a natural icehouse 6.50 metres deep and four metres in diameter. The Brothers of Saint John Baptist de La Salle built it in the 1890s to store supplies for the boarding school. It remains intact and lies on the path to the Grotte de la Vierge, on the hillside; access is locked. Its design and former purpose make it an example of how supplies were stored before modern refrigeration was available.

The Dorlon blast furnace, dating from 1692, had an associated stamp mill. It crushed slag so that iron could be recovered. This historic site highlights not just the age of the facility, but also a specific stage in the processing of iron in the past. Together with the Glacière and the railway traces, the blast furnace offers a glimpse into different aspects of Longuyon’s history of technology and work.

First World War Memorial Sites

The Mémorial du Vieux Pré commemorates French and German soldiers who fell in the Battle of Longuyon-Noërs on 23 and 24 August 1914. The German military cemetery in Longuyon contains the graves of 1,756 First World War soldiers: 1,748 Germans and eight French. Some of them died in the same battle on 24 August 1914. The French military cemetery contains 60 individual graves of French soldiers. A monument there commemorates those killed in the fighting on 23 and 24 August 1914. The memorial sites offer different perspectives: a shared commemoration of fallen soldiers, a breakdown of those buried by nationality, and individual graves alongside a monument to the fighting.

Rivers, a Pond and Walking Trails

The Crusnes and Chiers rivers run through Longuyon and meet there. Outside the town, at the edge of the forest, lies the Étang de Profonde Fontaine. The leisure centre is home to many bird and other animal species, and walking trails start there. Travelers who want to include scenery and wildlife alongside the historic sites will find a different point of interest here from the town’s architectural and memorial sites.

The Sentier de Revémont is a separate walking option. It is 11 kilometres long, with a stated walking time of three hours, and is marked with a green ring. There is a car park at the Profonde Fontaine site in Longuyon. The walking trail information was updated in March 2025, and route details may change. Check the latest route information before setting out. The three hours refers to the walking time for this trail; it should not be confused with the 20-minute audio tour at Sainte-Agathe. This helps distinguish two very different time frames for possible activities.

Discover more destinations: Franconville, Heillecourt, Méréville, Pierrepont, Saint-Nicolas-De-Port, Bruley, Ancy-Sur-Moselle, Pont-À-Mousson

For the overview of the wider region: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.