The armistice that put an end to WWI was signed in a thick forest 7km northeast of Compiègne, inside the railway carriage of the Allied supreme commander. On 22 June 1940, in the same railway car, the French were forced to sign the armistice that recognised Nazi Germany's domination of France.
Clairière de l'Armistice commemorates these events with monuments, memorabilia, newspaper clippings and stereoscopic (3-D) photos. The wooden rail wagon now on display is of the same type as the original one.
Taken for exhibition to Berlin, the original carriage was destroyed in April 1945 on the Führer's personal orders lest it be used for a third surrender – his own. Some of the furnishings that can be seen in the replica, hidden away during WWII, were the ones actually used in 1918.
From Compiègne, take the road to Soissons and follow the signs.
