Anguilcourt-Le-Sart: Nature and History

Anguilcourt-le-Sart can be understood through two perspectives on its natural environment and a rich local history. Its landscape includes stretches of river, vegetation and Fort de Mayot. Its history includes the construction of the fort after the 1870 war, damage sustained in later wars and an event from the First World War. For your travel plans, the natural environment and the past are therefore clearly distinct themes.

River landscape and valleys

The 317.96-hectare Confluence de la Serre et du ruisseau de Saint-Lambert area includes the commune of Anguilcourt-le-Sart. It covers an approximately eight-kilometre stretch of the Serre’s lower course, as well as a similarly long stretch of the lower course of its left tributary, the Saint-Lambert. The lengths therefore refer to two waterways; the Saint-Lambert is identified as a left tributary of the Serre. The lower course is the part of a river farther downstream. This gives you an idea of which stretches the figures refer to.

Fort de Mayot overlooks the valleys of the Serre and the Oise. This means that two different landscape features associated with the same river can be considered side by side: a stretch of its lower course in the Confluence area and a valley near the fort. In terms of area, the Confluence, at 317.96 hectares, is considerably larger than the ZNIEFF Fort de Mayot, which covers 21.92 hectares. The two figures convey different spatial scales.

The Fort de Mayot area

The ZNIEFF Fort de Mayot covers the communes of Anguilcourt-le-Sart and Mayot. Features of the area include woodland that has gradually established itself, as well as vegetation on brick walls and in ditches. The gradually established woodland stands alongside vegetation on brick walls and in ditches. The walls and ditches provide specific reference points for the vegetation, while the woodland is another component of the area. The fort should therefore not be viewed solely as a structure: the vegetation types described also shape the perspective on its natural environment.

The history of the fort and an event from the First World War

The fort was built after the 1870 war and was damaged during the two world wars. Another historical perspective concerns people from Anguilcourt-le-Sart: two Senegalese riflemen who were hidden in the commune were shot, along with the mayor, his first deputy and the commune’s gendarme. This took place during the First World War. It complements the fort’s construction history with an event in the commune itself. Two aspects can therefore be distinguished: the history of a structure and the fate of the riflemen and local officials.

Putting landscape and history into context

If you are weighing nature against history when choosing your destination, the themes described offer different points of interest. The area at the confluence draws attention to two rivers and their lower courses. At the fort, the valleys, vegetation habitats and history of the structure come together. Alongside these, the First World War event puts a distinct focus on the history of people in the commune.

Discover more destinations: Iviers, Montigny-L'allier, Vendeuil, Coucy-Lès-Eppes, Grougis, Le Charmel, Boncourt, Selens

For the overview of the wider region: Aisne.