[Illustration: TEMPORARY BRIDGE OVER THE VESLE, “CAMOUFLAGED” DURING THE
OPERATIONS.]
_Pass over the level-crossing, then climb straight up to the town of_
=Fismes=, _crossing on the left_ the avenues, whose trees have been cut to
pieces by the shells. At one corner of the Square, where the tourist
comes out, is the Town Hall in ruins.
To get a good view of the ruins of the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, _take the
Rue de l’Hospice, on the right of the Square, which leads straight
there_. This hospital was founded at the beginning of the 15th century.
Only the façade remains, the remainder of the buildings having been
destroyed by the bombardments.
_Take on the left, the street which passes in front of the_
Hôtel-de-Ville, _and which crosses, on the left, the Avenue in which
the_ church _stands_. Built in the 11th, 13th, and 16th centuries, this
church is remarkable for its Roman apsis. Inside are two statues of St.
Macre, one Middle-Age, the other 17th or 18th century.
The Cemetery, on one side of which several hundred Americans were
buried, is on the right of the road to Rheims, beyond the Avenue. _To go
there, take the last street on the right_ (_Rue du Point du Jour_).
[Illustration: HÔTEL-DE-VILLE SQUARE IN AUGUST, 1918.]
[Illustration: TOWN HALL OF FISMES.]
[Illustration: APSIS AND TOWER OF FISMES CHURCH SEEN FROM THE RAMPARTS
IN 1914.]
[Illustration: FRONT AND TOWER OF ABOVE CHURCH IN 1918, AS SEEN FROM THE
PLACE DE L’EGLISE.]
[Illustration: THE OLD RAMPARTS OF FISMES SEEN FROM BELOW THE PLACE DE
L’EGLISE.]