Vrigne aux Bois is a town in the Ardennes, in the Grand Est region, 10 km southwest of Charleville-Mézières. It was created in 2017 following the merger of Vrigne-aux-Bois (then spelled with hyphens) and Bosseval-et-Briancourt, a village of 400 inhabitants. The whole of the new community now has some 3,700 inhabitants.
Bordering Belgium to the north, the 22 km² territory is notably crossed by the course of the Vrigne, a tributary of the Meuse, which passes to the west of the locality. It is still largely wooded and covered with meadows.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, Vrigne and Bosseval were simple rural parishes with agricultural activity. There is then only a small forge established since the 16th century. An upheaval took place in 1822 when Jean-Nicolas Gendarme created a metallurgical factory with a blast furnace running on coal. A castle intended for the master of the forges who has a sense of innovation is also built. Vrigne then became a small industrial city and still remains today, with modern units located on the outskirts, near the motorway connecting the two flagship towns of the Ardennes, Sedan and Charleville-Mézières. In the middle of this agglomeration, Vrigne aux Bois has preserved a heritage and a quality environment and has a leisure offer that deserves attention.
In terms of heritage, in the village, the Church of the Immaculate Conception was completed in 1953, the previous building having been partially destroyed during the fighting of May 1940. The latter had been erected in 1860 on land and on funds from Marie-Marguerite Gendarme, heir to the master of the forges. The modern parts of the church were built in stone from Dom (nearby town), covering a concrete structure. The floors are covered with black marble slabs, and the interior faces of the walls are covered with a gray cement plaster. The church houses an 18th century statue of Saint Peter. A 19th century chapel has been preserved and adjoins the new church: its stained glass windows are signed by Claudius Lavergne, a 19th century master glassmaker who worked in particular with Viollet-le-Duc.
In another register, then direction the site of the former Gendarme forges, named after this industrialist who created and developed from the 1820s a "factory to produce iron" in his native village using modern processes. Partly listed, the ensemble includes three main buildings whose noble-style facades contrast with the traditional appearance of factories, but also a castle (also 19th century) where the owner lived. Finally, there are ponds that served as "weirs". The activity lasted until the 1960s.
Since then, partly rehabilitated, the site has been maintained and hosts occasional events on the theme of industrial heritage. Visit possible especially during Heritage Days. Information on +33 3 24 27 73 73.
Another legacy of this economic past, the vast municipal park of 10 hectares set up in the former park of the castle of Jean-Nicolas Gendarme. This space conducive to walking via dedicated paths includes multi-centenary trees and a botanical path. A children's play area adjoins the park. Open every day. Information on +33 3 24 52 12 22.
In the small village of Bosseval, finally, to see, the Saint-Charles church rebuilt in 1876 in local stones from Bulson and Dom. Sober but elegant, the building has Roman flagstone paving.
On the cultural level, in Vrigne, activities are regularly offered at the library (information on +33 3 24 52 15 15) and shows scheduled throughout the year at the village hall or at the Bérégovoy hall, of large capacity and which hosts events of departmental scope. Inquire on +33 3 24 52 12 22.
For amateurs, it is then possible to book a tennis court with the local club on +33 6 86 97 39 08 or to go fishing from the banks of the Vrigne or one of the streams in the surrounding bucolic countryside. Information on suitable sites and regulations on +33 3 24 56 41 32.
Finally, it remains to mention the vast potential available in terms of hiking: from the village and the site of the old forges, it is indeed easy to join the trails signposted leading to the border woods with Belgium, historical memorial sites in neighboring municipalities (commemorating, for example, the last fights of November 1918) or the greenway built along the Meuse (which is now a section of a road European dedicated to two-wheelers connecting the Ardennes to the Netherlands!). Maps and information on +33 3 24 27 73 73.
The first Sunday in August, patronal feast.
Every Sunday morning, the market in the center of the village allows you to understand the richness of the Ardennes terroir and its culinary specialties (pâté, ham, cheese, etc.).
