Route of the three fountains in the Marcaulieu National Forest

On the D101 road coming from the village of Dompcevrin and heading towards Lahaymeix, you will see a sign on your right indicating "Forêt Domaniale de Marcaulieu". Take the white road on the right and park on the side of the road.

The route is marked with red directional arrows.

(S/E) Take the marked path down to your left. After about 100 metres, you will see "Les cent ciels plantés" (Denis Malbos, 2001) on your left. Continue for 600 metres.

(1) Shortly before the forest exit, turn completely left, following the red signs. Walking along the field on your right, discover "La promenade des dragons" (Antoine Marquis, 2018), whose small ceramic bas-reliefs are spread over tree trunks for about 500 metres. Then turn left and follow the path. Pass by a spring, turn right, then continue straight ahead.

(2) Opposite you is "Salut pour tous" (Théodore Fivel, 2012). Take the path to the left of the artwork. A few metres further on, take the small path on the right leading to "L'œil du Cyclope" (Nicolas Chenard, 1997). Then continue to the fork, where you will continue straight ahead. Then follow the winding path indicated by the markings.

(3) At the crossroads, turn left and walk uphill for 400 metres. Just before the road, turn right to find "Exode" (Joël Thépault, 2002) in front of you. Turn left and continue until you cross the road.

(4) Then follow the tarmac road for a few metres, then turn left to enter the forest. Walk, then turn right when you see "Turbin" (Matthieu Pilaud, 2016). Follow the sloping path (not visible on the IGN map) until you see "Figura Translata" (Luc Doerflinger, 2005) on your right, then further on "Volis et Chandelles" (Dominique Blais, 2008). Join the tarmac road.

(5) Continue left to the edge of the forest and you will see "Par erreur" (Maciej Albrzykowski, 1997). Turn left at the wooden barrier and follow the white path, continuing straight ahead for 1 km. Turn left just before the entrance to the forest and walk along the field. At the end, turn left.

(6) Take the second path on the right to enter the forest and see "Le Voile du palais" (Emmanuelle Lainé, 2010). Then walk along the fence that protects the water catchment on your left and climb for 350 metres. You will then come to a sign indicating an access passage on your right, which you must take to see "Miss Panoramique" (Elsa Sahal, 2009). Retrace your steps and continue to the right.

(7) Discover "Champignons" (Abdul Rahman Katamani, 2017) below on your right, then follow the path turning left and continue straight ahead for 500 metres. Turn left onto the sloping path. Opposite a dead tree trunk on your left is an access passage to "Shrapnel Galeries" (Arnaud Rochard, 2016). Return to the path, continue, then, a few metres before the white path, turn right to see "La ballade des pendus" (Emmanuel Perrin, 2003) hanging from several trees. Then join the white path.

(8) Turn left. Continue for 400 metres. About thirty metres before "Pierre dorée" (Frédérique Lecerf, 2006), there is a small access path on the left leading to "Aire cellulaire" (Sébastien Lacroix, 2010). Then continue along the white path and you will see "Enraciné" (Douglas White, 2014) on your right. After about 100 metres, you will find "Das Aldernest" (Clément Laigle, 2008) above "Lieu de rêve" (Walther Piesch, 2002). At the road, continue left for a few metres and you will see the sign for "Forêt Domaniale de Marcaulieu". Take the white path and continue until you reach the starting point (S/E).

In the heart of the Meuse department, in the middle of the countryside, there is a forest dotted with works of art made of wood, stone and iron. The Vent des Forêts association is behind this open-air space. Since 1977, every year it has invited around ten international artists to come and take a creative look at nature. Immersed in the rural and natural setting of the heart of the Meuse, the artists create works in harmony with the forest. The creation of these works gives rise to encounters and shapes the history of this unique place.

Across 5,000 hectares of forest, seven marked routes ranging from 1 to 4 hours in length are freely accessible all year round.

Pick up a map of the trails and set off to discover around a hundred works of art. A map is also available free of charge in front of the town hall in Fresnes-au-Mont.

From October to March, hunting season is open, so be sure to check the hunting calendar available on Vent des Forêts.
We also recommend that you take the 1:25,000 IGN paper maps for this hike with you. Click here to order them: 3114SB.

Always be careful and plan ahead when hiking. Visorando and the author of this information sheet cannot be held responsible for any accidents or inconveniences that may occur on this route.

Les Cornuelles