Folio circulaire: Charleville and the Four Sons of Aymon

There is a chanson de geste from the time of Charlemagne concerning the adventures of the four sons of Aymon, named Renaud, Allard, Guichard, and Richard. The four are presented by their father at the court of Charlemagne. Renaud is such a promising warrior that Charlemagne gives him a magic horse, Bayard, to help him fight better. Unfortunately, Renaud kills one of Charlemagne's nephews in a dispute over a game of chess, and from then on, the brothers and Charlemagne are constantly at odds.
The story is quite long. Here, I reproduce only the part that takes place in the Ardennes region, where I am at the moment.
"All four of the sons of Aymon are first driven from Dordonne by their father, because of his vassalage to Charlemagne. Maugis, who hates Charlemagne, welcomes them with joy and helps them to build the fortress of Montessor on a rock overlooking the Meuse. In this castle, they choose the wild boar as their heraldic device. After seven years, Charlemagne tracked them down and began to lay siege to the castle Montessor. Despite heroic resistance, the castle finally fell because of the treachery of Hervé de Lausanne. The four brothers and their followers still manage to escape through a tunnel. They hide in the forest for several months and are forced to live by plunder. Then half-dead from hunger, they finally decide to go home to their mother at Dordonne Castle, profiting from the absence of their father to recover."
The brothers continue to be hounded by Charlemagne. Renaud eventually agrees to hand over the magic horse, Bayard, to Charlemagne and to make a pilgrimage to Palestine. Charlemagne attempts to kill Bayard by hanging a millstone around its neck and throwing it into the Meuse River, but the fairy horse escapes into the Ardennes. Renaud ends up as a construction worker on the Cathedral of Cologne. He works for food, and the other workers, perceiving him as a wage-depresser, kill him.

A clock at the Puppet Museum. Every hour a scene from "The Four Sons of Aymon" is shown.

The puppet on the right is Charlemagne.

Demand for women's hats has declined since the end of WWII. However, in Charleville, Nathalie Génin maintains this French tradition.

Nathalie Génin, modiste [milliner].

Climbing trees is regarded in France as an outdoor recreational activity. Various kinds of climbing situations are created using ropes and guy wires. The climbers are equipped with carabiners and pulleys. The leading company in this market is called "Accrobranche."