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Nestling close to the battlefield, The Chantelet Farm played a major strategic role during the events of June 1815. It was here that Marshal Ney, one of Napoleon’s most famous commanders, set up his headquarters and spent the night before the Battle of Waterloo. The farm was at the heart of the violent Franco-Prussian clashes on 17 and 18 June, in the wake of the Battle of Quatre-Bras.
The site is also famous for an unusual discovery: in 1915, a 50-million-year-old crocodile fossil, nicknamed the « Chantelet Crocodile », was unearthed here.
Just a stone’s throw from the farm, don’t miss the charming Chapelle du Chantelet, a small Baroque building constructed of white limestone and red brick, which adds a touch of tranquillity and heritage to the site.
The farm and its chapel bear precious witness to the area’s military and natural history, and are well worth a visit on a walk off the beaten track.
