Chonville-Malaumont: Hiking and History

Chonville-Malaumont offers two distinct points of interest for your stay: the La Grenouille circular trail and its architectural and local history. The hike is clearly defined in terms of distance and duration. Historical topics include the Romanesque tower of the Church of Saint-Martin de Malaumont, buildings in Chonville, and the history of Morville, three kilometers south of Chonville. This lets you weigh outdoor activity and local history as different interests for your trip.

The La Grenouille circular trail: distance and time

The La Grenouille circular trail is an easy 9.3-kilometer hike, with a stated duration of 2 hours and 35 minutes. Together, the distance and time provide a concrete basis for fitting the tour into your stay. It starts at the washhouse in Chonville and offers a panorama over the valley. This means the tour can be described not only by how long it takes, but also by its starting point and its connection to the landscape. Check local conditions before setting out, as route conditions can change.

Historic buildings and traces of the past

The Romanesque tower of the Church of Saint-Martin de Malaumont was protected as a historic monument by decree on July 17, 1908. Its history therefore includes both its Romanesque architectural style and a precisely dated protection status. The Ancien presbytère offers a different connection to the past: the 17th-century stone house is located on Grande-Rue in Chonville and is the only surviving remnant of the former château, which belonged to Monsieur de Montauban before the Revolution. The tower and the house thus point to different historical connections.

On the gable of the mairie-école in Chonville is the inscription “Mairie et école des garçons”; above it is a globe. On this building, the inscription and globe stand out as specific details alongside the older traces of the past found in the tower and the Ancien presbytère. The inscription translates as “Town Hall and Boys’ School,” making the term mairie-école clear.

History and buildings in Morville

Morville lies three kilometers south of Chonville and has its own local history: it was a fief dependent on Saarbrücken. The chapel in Morville was founded on January 3, 1602. The château belongs to a much later building phase: it was built in the early 20th century for a Parisian notable. The First World War interrupted construction; it was completed in the 1920s. The sequence in time distinguishes the two building histories: the chapel is associated with a founding date, while the château’s chronology includes the start of construction, its wartime interruption, and its completion.

Discover more destinations: Damvillers, Verdun-Sur-Meuse, Heudicourt-Sous-Les-Côtes, Juvigny-Sur-Loison, Saint-Maurice-Sous-Les-Côtes, Houdelaincourt, Vignot, Beaulieu-En-Argonne.

For the broader travel overview: Meuse.