Ardennes+Forest

Ardennes Forest  Luxembourg City Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rough terrains, rolling hills, and ridges formed by the Ardennes mountain range and the Moselle and Meuse river basins. The region is located in Belgium and Luxembourg with parts in France and Germany. The region contains two cities with populations exceeding 50,000 and many others with populations lower than 20,000. The trees and rivers provide the region with a charcoal industry, much timber and minerals, and wild game. Agriculture is limited to dairy farming due to the rough terrain. The scenic beauty of the region provides tourist attractions with many outdoor activities such as hunting, cycling, walking, and canoeing.

The forest was named after a vast forest in Roman times called Arduenna Silva. Also, in The Song of Roland, Charlemagne was described as having a nightmare the night before the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. This nightmare took place in the Ardennes' forest, where his most important battles occurred. Many of Wallonia’s rivers, villages and other places are named in another song about Charlemagne.

The strategic position of the region made for a great battleground for the European powers. In the 20th century it was thought unsuitable for large-scale military operations, due to its difficult terrain and narrow lines of communications. But in both World Wars, Germany successfully used the Ardennes as a passage to attack lightly defended parts of France. France was unprepared for these attacks because they did not expect Germany to make the risky move. Fighting took place in the Ardennes region during the Battle of Ardennes (WWI), the Battle of France (WWII), and the Battle of the Bulge (WWII). The Ardennes forest is well known from the Battle of the Bulge. The forest is also the setting for one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, //As You Like It.//