Louvent Route

Starting from the village of Fresnes-au-Mont, walk behind the town hall and follow the Route de Louvent for about 3 kilometres. As you emerge from the forest on the left, overlooking the Louvent farm, you’ll find a car park and a picnic table. You can park here.

The route is signposted with purple directional signs.

(S/E) Walk alongside the field on your right for a few metres, then turn left onto the dirt track that leads up into the forest. You’ll pass beneath the artwork ‘The Basilica of the Forest’ (J. Lonne Christiansen, 2002). Walk uphill for 300 metres.

(1) At the junction, turn right, then left to reach “Chant Silencieux” (Lionel Sabatté, 2013). Continue to the right along the signposted path. Carry on straight ahead to discover “Réenchantement” (Jean-Luc Verna, 2010) directly in front of you, then turn right, following the path. Turn left. About a hundred metres further on, you’ll see a fluorescent green sign on your left indicating a path you need to take to reach “Concession” (Jean-Luc Verna, 2019), which is a little further on to the left. Retrace your steps back to the main path, then continue to the junction where you turn left. Carry on until you come to the artwork ‘Nostalgie’ (Péixe Collardot, 2019) on your left.

(2) You’ll come to a fork in the path; turn right. Walk on and you’ll come across ‘Monts et merveilles’ (Sunoj D, 2017) on your left. Carry on straight ahead; further on, at the junction, you’ll see ‘Saphira’ (Claudia Comte, 2010) on your right, down below at the edge of the field. Carry on straight ahead, following the path.

(3) Then the sign for the ‘Jardin des méditations’ (Erik Nussbicker, 2017) will lead you along a winding path through the woods. There you’ll see skulls hanging from the trees as well as the ‘Tourelle d’y Voir’ (Erik Nussbicker, 2018). Carry on until you reach the main path. Walk on, then follow the cleared area (not shown on the map as it has recently been cleared) on your right. Take the path on the left leading to ‘Peuple migrateur’ (Katarina Kudelova, 2007). Continue to the edge of the forest.

(4) In front of you stands ‘L’oiseau source’ (Jean-Pierre Brazs, 2000) at the edge of the field. Turn right, then 300 metres further on, turn left, following the purple markers.

(5) At the junction between the woodland and the fields, you’ll find “Hole-Hill” (Tav Group, 2003) on your right. Turn right and walk along the edge of the field on your left until you enter the woodland. About fifty metres further on, turn left to see ‘Station – Je suis toujours vivant’ (Edouard Boyer, 2007); retrace your steps and continue along the main path. As you emerge from the forest, you’ll see the Lahaymeix picnic table on your right. Continue along the white path, skirting the field on your right.

(6) Look out for the ‘Ego’ bench (Daniel Denise, 1998) on the left-hand side of the path, where you can take a break and enjoy the view. Carry on to the village of Lahaymeix. Once in the village, walk past the church on your left and continue until you pass the fountain. Then turn left and carry on until you reach a stone drinking trough. Turn round and head back to the town hall.

(7) Turn left as you pass the war memorial; you’ll find the ‘Chambre forte’ tree trunks (the Chapuisat brothers, 2011) on your right, followed by ‘Le chant des géants’ (Eric Croes, 2007) on the façade of a building. Retrace your steps to the crossroads and continue to the left. You’ll pass the old village café. On your right, you’ll see “La Marche” (Matouš Lipus, 2018), then take the Chemin de Bannoncourt directly opposite you. Follow it and turn right at the Fork in the road before the orchard, then cross the field as you head uphill.

(8) As you climb, you’ll see ‘La fête du rrrhoh rrrhoh’ (Aurélie Ferruel and Florentine Guédon, 2018); carry on until you cross the tarmac road and join the dirt track opposite. Look out for ‘Le Silence Divisé’ (Christian Lapie, 2009) in the orchard on your right.

(9) Carry on and you’ll spot ‘Keep warm burnout the rich’ (Nøne Futbol Club, 2017); take the path on the right and continue straight on across the fields for about 700 metres until you enter the forest via the signposted track. Climb 400 metres.

(10) Just before the road, turn right to find ‘Exode’ (Joël Thépault, 2002) in front of you. Turn left and carry on until you cross the road. Follow the road to the right for a few metres, then turn left, following the signposts. Carry on straight ahead, then turn right when you see ‘Turbin ’ (Matthieu Pilaud, 2016). Follow the sloping path until you reach ‘Figura Translata’ (Luc Doerflinger, 2005) on your right, then further on ‘Volis et Chandelles’ (Dominique Blais, 2008).

(10) At the edge of the forest, you’ll see ‘Par erreur’ (Maciej Albrzykowski, 1997) by the roadside. Follow the tarmac road for about 700 metres, passing Louvent Farm (S/E).

In the heart of the Meuse department, in the heart of the countryside, lies a forest dotted with works of art made of wood, stone or iron. The Vent des Forêts association is behind this open-air exhibition space. Since 1997, the association has invited around ten international artists each year to offer a creative perspective on nature. Immersed in the rural and natural setting of the heart of the Meuse, the artists create works that blend harmoniously with the forest. The creation of these works fosters encounters and shapes the history of this unique place.

Spanning 5,000 hectares of woodland, seven signposted routes – ranging from 1 to 4 hours’ walk – are freely accessible all year round.

Pick up a trail map and set off to discover around a hundred artworks. A map is also available free of charge outside the town hall in Fresnes-au-Mont.

From October to March, the hunting season is open, so please check the hunting calendar available at http://ventdesforets.com