Chemins de la Liberté – The Path to Freedom: Vassieux Necropolis
Vassieux-en-Vercors

Chemins de la Liberté – The Path to Freedom: Vassieux Necropolis

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The open visit to the Necropolis of Vassieux-en-Vercors serves as an introduction to this easy loop. Here you are invited to remember the battles that took place in July 1944 and the journey taken by members of the Resistance. You now cross the broad plain of Vassieux, where enemy gliders used to land.
A commemorative route on the wide karst plateau of Vassieux punctuated by limestone pavements and sinkholes.

2 points of interest

  • Plateau of Vassieux-en-Vercors

    The plateau of Vassieux-en-Vercors is an open landscape characteristic of the karstic plateaus, the surface water is almost non-existent and the soils are not thick. However, dolines, which are depressions where the clay accumulates, thus allowing the cultivation of cereals, alongside these dolines, the stones are heaped up. There used to be many windmills to grind grain.

  • Vassieux-en-Vercors Necropolis

    After the village of Vassieux, you can discover the Necropolis, where all the civilian and military victims of the events in Vassieux lie buried. In addition to the people of the village, the graves show us that the Resistance in the Vercors was a huge civil and military movement that brought together men and women of many different nationalities. On the stone slabs can be read the names of Russian, Polish, Algerian, English and American soldiers and members of the Maquis. The shells of two of the gliders the German soldiers landed are on display beyond the graveyard. The Memorial to the Resistance, which is managed by the Vercors Park and the departmental Resistance Museum, help you learn more about the Vercors Maquis.

Description

  1. Set off from the Necropolis car park. Cross the D76 at the gate and follow the signposted path opposite towards La Grande Peyrouse.
  2. At the La Grande Peyrouse intersection, continue on towards Pourlette.
  3. In Pourlette, an interpretation panel explains the geological formation of the Vercors. Cross the D76 again and take the path opposite that goes across fields and leads to the site of an old water mill, which has been recently redeveloped. Once you are on the path, turn right towards the Necropolis. The trail will take you back to the starting point.
  • Departure : the Necropolis of Vassieux-en-Vercors
  • Arrival : the Necropolis of Vassieux-en-Vercors
  • Towns crossed : Vassieux-en-Vercors

Forecast

Recommandations

Use the purpose-built throughways to cross fences; shut gates and barriers behind you.

Keeping to the signposted paths means you'll respect private property.

Information desks

Place Pietri, 26 420 La Chapelle-en-Vercors

http://www.vercors-drome.com/info@vercors-drome.com04 75 48 22 54

Access and parking

Parking :

Necropolis car park

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