It remains much less well-known than Fontainebleau or Montmorency: about thirty kilometers from Paris, the Montgé Regional Forest sits on a hill overlooking the plains of Seine-et-Marne. Chestnut, oak, ash, and maple trees cover a large part of the forest, but it is above all the traces left by history that give the place its unique character.
In several places, the trails still pass by remnants of World War I. The forest was, in fact, located in a strategic sector during the Battle of the Marne in 1914, and later formed part of the Paris entrenchment system. A trench dating from 1915 still appears on the official map of the forest, alongside other traces related to the conflict.
The Montgé Forest preserves remnants of World War I
At the top of the hill, at an elevation of about 200 meters, the Signal de Montgé towers over the forest at a height of 16.5 meters. This tower, sometimes called the telegraph tower, was erected by the army in 1889 to serve as an optical telegraph station. During World War I, a wooden platform placed at its summit allowed it to be used as an observation post.
Although it’s not possible to climb to the top of the structure today, it’s one of the stops along a roughly 3-kilometer walk. The trail also passes by a ginkgo tree planted in 1989 to mark the bicentennial of the French Revolution and by several beech trees with particularly wide trunks, nicknamed the “elephant’s feet.”
The other side of Montgé can be discovered around the former estate of Saint-Thibault. A castle built in the 19th century once stood on the site, following several centuries during which a priory had been located there. The castle is gone, but a tower, a chapel built in 1868, an old orchard, and a landscaped river are still visible.
For Heritage Days 2026, a guided tour focusing on the traces of the Great War will be held on September 19. The 2-kilometer route will retrace the battles of 1914 and the entrenchments of 1915.
Location: Montgé Regional Forest, Montgé Park, 77230 Montgé-en-Goële
Hours: The forest is open to the public; World War I-themed tour on September 19, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, by registration.