Forest of Compiègne The Forest of Compiègne ( French : " Forêt de Compiègne " ) is a large forest in the region of Picardie , France , near the city of Compiègne and approximately north of Paris . The forest is notable as the site of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany which ended World War I on 11 November 1918 . Geography . The forest of Compiègne is roughly circular with a diameter of about ; it is approximately in circumference and its area is roughly , making it the third largest " forêt domaniale " , a category corresponding to the French State ' s inalienable domaine , as heir to the monarchy , under a judicial regime distinct from the national " patrimoine " and from private property , defined by a royal edict issued in 1566 . The forest is lushly irrigated , being adjacent to the Oise and the Aisne rivers , as well as many smaller tributaries and streams . On its northwest , the forest hugs its small namesake city , and to its north and northeast , beyond the Aisne , lies the large national forest of Laigue ( " Forêt Domaniale de Laigue " ) . Around its remaining perimeter , it contains or is adjacent to numerous communes including Vieux - Moulin , Lacroix - Saint - Ouen , Saint - Sauveur , Béthisy - Saint - Pierre , Saint - Jean - aux - Bois , and Pierrefonds . On its south it borders the Forest of Halatte . Just outside the city of Compiègne , a grand entrance to the forest begins at the resplendent Château de Compiègne , a former royal residence on the city ' s western edge . Stretching forward from the château , the " Avenue de Beaux Monts " scales the heights of the same name , providing a scenic promenade into the woods . Characteristics . The forest of Compiègne is famous for its picturesque natural attractions , with its elegant arrays of oak and beech trees projecting a " noble and ordered beauty " . The most prominent tree species are oak ( " Quercus robur " ) , beech ( " Fagus sylvatica " ) and hornbeam ( " Carpinus betulus " ) . Much of the oak was heavily harvested over the centuries but was replanted aggressively in the nineteenth century when fears of deforestation began to be addressed . Since the late twentieth century , the North American black cherry tree ( " Prunus serotina " ) has spread vigorously throughout the forest , eliciting mixed reactions from local arborists . Numerous flowering plants thrive in the woods , notably large numbers of Lily of the Valley ( " Convallaria majalis " ) . Small lakes , ponds , brooks and springs abound throughout the forest , including the Spring of Saint - Sauveur , which is actually a pair of therapeutic mineral water springs running both hot and cold . The forest sustains a great number of game animals including deer , rabbit and wild boar , and the varied terrain - plateaus cut by valleys and gorges , hills , streams and ponds - makes for challenging hunting . For centuries the Compiègne forest has been a prized hunting ground for virtually all the kings of France . Some 350 roads and pathways cross it adding up to over six hundred miles of trail with stately vintage signposts marking most of the intersections . The oldest ones include a small red mark which shows the direction to the château , relics of an imperial order given during the Second French Empire after the Empress Eugénie found herself lost in the thick woods . The forest of Compiègne is a popular destination for all types of tourists . Horse - riders and bicyclists particularly enjoy the forest ; a long - running bicycle event , the Paris - Lille race , has an established path through the forest . History . Prehistoric and classical eras . The forest of Compiègne area shows evidence of prehistoric habitation , and continuous forest cover has been definitively proven since at least the end of the Roman Empire . Gallic - Roman edifices have been discovered there , and it is traversed on its south and east sides by an ancient Roman road now called by the French the " Chaussée Brunehaut " . During the Gallic Wars , Julius Caesar won a decisive victory in the forest , defeating one of the larger tribes of north - eastern Gaul , the Bellovaci . A multitude of the forest ' s classical - era artifacts are on display at the Château ' s museum . Dark Ages . The earliest Frankish kings established the forest as their privileged hunting grounds , and Clothaire the Great built the first royal residence there in the 7th century , and there he died of a fever . The small palace , fitted cozily among the trees , was named Cusia and for some time thereafter the forest itself went by the name " Forêt de Cuise " that is memorialized in the village of Cuise - la - Motte that lies to the east of the forest boundaries . A battle between the Merovingian - era kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria took place in the forest in the year 715 . Medieval era . As Empress Eugénie ' s signposts attest , the thick and heavy forest can be a disorienting and potentially fatal place . In the twelfth century , at the age of fourteen , the future King Philip II of France found himself lost in the forest : he came so close to tragedy that his father , Louis VII , felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St . Thomas of Canterbury in England to offer thanks for his recovery . In the sixteenth century , King Francis I commanded the construction of eight hard - surfaced roads through the forest , all of which converge on a single point called the King ' s Well ( " Puits du Roi " ) . Early modern era . Further avenues connected by an octagonal ring were opened through the woods for the formal hunting parties of Louis XIV , and under the Ancien Régime the number of rides was increased to 200 . Napoleon opened the avenue of Beaux - Monts ( " illustration " ) . Prior to the Industrial Revolution , the lush woodlands provided lumber for a thriving woodworking community around Compiègne . One of the most popular products supplied by the forest was beech oil , used for cooking and folk medicines : it was bottled in prodigious quantities and sold worldwide from Compiègne through the 19th century , until its marketshare was supplanted by newer , more refined oils . Second Empire . The forest of Compiègne witnessed much activity during the reign of the Emperor Napoleon III , for whom the abundant forest was a personal favorite retreat . The Emperor was an avid huntsman , and he reconstituted the forest as grand hunting grounds , even going so far as to revive the age - old office of Grand Veneur to oversee it . The Emperor had a deep affection for the forest and frequently organized his hunting parties at the King ' s Well . In addition to hunting parties and competitions , the forest of Compiègne was the scene of extravagant receptions , parties and even theatrical performances . Armistice of 1918 . The forest of Compiègne was the site of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany which ended World War I on 11 November 1918 . The French commander - in - chief Marshal Foch convened the armistice talks deep in the forest beside the tiny village of Rethondes , with an eye towards secrecy because he wanted to shield the meeting from intrusive journalists , as well as spare the German delegation any hostile demonstrations by French locals . Armistice of 1940 . During World War II , a second treaty was signed in the forest , this time arranging an armistice between France and Nazi Germany ( 22 June 1940 ) . With an unmistakable desire to humiliate his defeated enemy , German dictator Adolf Hitler gave orders that the surrender should be received in exactly the same spot , even the same railway car , where the Germans had surrendered in 1918 . Armistice Clearing . A memorial site called " Clairière de l ' Armistice " ( " Glade of the Armistice " , or " Armistice Clearing " ) covers the historic treaty area . Additions include a statue of Marshal Foch and the large Alsace - Lorraine Memorial , which depicts an Allied sword pinning down an Imperial German eagle . A famous memorial tablet placed at the precise location of the cease - fire signing reads ( in French ) , " Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Reich . . . vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave . " The original tablet was destroyed by the Nazis , but a new one was emplaced after the war . For the 1918 meeting , the French had specifically assembled the train with a special railcar which had once belonged to Napoleon III . The car was decorated with old Imperial emblems , redolent of past glories and mutely confirming the resurgence of French power after its defeat in the Franco - Prussian War . After the armistice of 1940 , however , the railway carriage was remanded to Germany where it was eventually destroyed by SS troops in Crawinkel , Thuringia , in 1945 , and the remains were buried . In 1950 , a faithful replica of the original railcar was installed at the site . Decades later , some vestiges of the original car were discovered in Germany and returned to France : the pieces were added to the memorial display in 1995 . The Armistice Clearing remains open to the public six days a week . Visitors routinely leave photographs and other mementos to be displayed or stored in the museum , making it " an ever - changing place of pilgrimage " .