Discover Fors

Fors offers an easy cultural and historical walking route and historic remains from various periods. When choosing a hotel, you can weigh up whether hiking or cultural history will play a bigger part in your stay.

Hiking in Fors

The route “Entre marais et forêt: la commune de Fors” is a cultural and historical route that can be explored on foot, as well as an easy 2.5-kilometre hike. It therefore combines a specific distance with cultural and historical content. Four hiking routes are signposted from the Champ de Foire in Fors. As signage, route lengths and difficulty levels may change in the future, check the waymarkers and route description before setting out.

Arriving by bicycle

A secure bicycle shelter has been installed in the car park at Fors railway station. It provides two separate, free parking spaces with independent access for users. If you plan to use the shelter when arriving by bicycle, bear in mind that it has only two spaces. Check the condition of this municipal facility before your trip, as infrastructure may change.

Archaeological and religious history

Excavations at the Champ-Royal archaeological site uncovered the remains of an ancient vicus covering three hectares. Its features include villas, baths, porticoes and a forum. The variety of building types shows that the site is more than a single structure: it is defined by the diverse remains of an ancient vicus. These terms help put the finds in context: porticoes are colonnaded walkways, and a forum is a central public square; villas and baths represent other types of buildings.

The Church of Notre-Dame in Fors dates from the 12th century and was partially destroyed during the Wars of Religion. By the 19th century, it was in poor condition and was restored. In 1930, a fresco depicting children and a bishop was discovered beneath the whitewash. The church’s history does not end with its medieval origins: its destruction, restoration and the discovery of the fresco mark further distinct chapters in its history.

Other historical traces

Only ruins of the Château de Fors remain today. The former distillery in Fors was established in the 1890s and produced a liqueur called La Cistercienne. The two sites offer different points of interest: the château is notable for its present-day state as a ruin, while the distillery is associated with a historic product and the name of its liqueur.

For your trip planning, the distinction is clear: the route is precisely defined by its 2.5-kilometre length and easy rating, while the historical topics span antiquity, church history and the distillery of the 1890s.

Discover more destinations: Argenton-L'eglise, Étusson, Oiron, Chiché, Fontenille-Saint-Martin-d'Entraigues, Frontenay-Rohan-Rohan, La Mothe-Saint-Héray, Irais

For the regional travel overview: Deux-Sèvres.