DEMINETEC in Reims

DEMINETEC, a French company headquartered in La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var), delivers civilian demining (pyrotechnic clearance) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) risk management services to public and private clients in Reims, France. We cover the full chain from historical pyrotechnic desk study (EHT) to ordnance neutralisation and disposal, in line with French Decree 2005-1325 and international best practice.

• French licensed company, ISO 9001 and MASE certified, compliant with French Decree 2005-1325.
• Teams of former French Navy and Army EOD operators (NEDEX / EOD qualifications).
• Over 30 years of accumulated experience in France and on international projects.
• Onshore and underwater intervention capacity through the DEMINETEC group (SEMTEC, GEODE, DEMINETEC ECG).
• Quick response: quote within 48 hours, rapid mobilisation in France and abroad.

War history and explosive contamination in Reims

During the First World War, Reims Cathedral was commissioned as a hospital. On 4 September 1914, the XII Saxon Corps arrived in Reims, and the Imperial German Army began shelling the city from guns located 7 km away in Les Mesneux. The guns stopped after two officers and a city employee asked them to cease firing. On 12 September, the occupying German Army placed wounded soldiers inside the cathedral despite the protests of Abbé Maurice Landrieux. French soldiers under General Franchet d’Esperey re-entered Reims the following day, while German wounded remained in the building.

Six days later, a shell exploded in the bishop’s palace, killing three people and injuring 15. On 18 September, prolonged bombardment began; on 19 September, shells struck the wooden timbers beneath the lead-covered cathedral roof, causing a fire that destroyed the roof. The bombardment damaged the cathedral’s bells, windows, sculpture and walls, while molten roofing lead damaged the adjoining bishop’s palace. Single shells continued to strike the ruined building for several years. The timeline records that the cathedral was struck by more than 300 artillery shells between 1914 and 1918. Earlier military activity included the English siege of Reims from 1359 to 1360 during the Hundred Years’ War; an illustration described in the text shows Edward III besieging Reims with cannons. During the French Revolution in 1793, the cathedral’s bells were melted down to make cannon.

Areas and structures concerned

• Reims Cathedral
• The city of Reims
• The bishop’s palace adjoining Reims Cathedral
• The cathedral roof and its wooden timber structure
• The immediate vicinity of Reims Cathedral
• Les Mesneux firing positions, 7 km from Reims

Expected ordnance and implications for survey

The ordnance explicitly identified includes artillery shells fired during the First World War and cannons used during the English siege of Reims from 1359 to 1360. Guns positioned at Les Mesneux shelled Reims, shells struck the bishop’s palace and cathedral, and single shells continued to hit the ruined building for several years. The documented shelling locations and prolonged impacts are relevant to historical UXO desk studies, survey planning and clearance assessment around the cathedral, palace and adjacent ground.

Local regulatory framework

In Reims, explosive ordnance clearance linked to construction works falls under French decree 2005-1325 as amended: the pyrotechnic safety study (ESP), drawn up under the clearance contractor's responsibility, is submitted by the project owner to the DREETS Grand Est (regional labour authority), which obtains the opinion of the explosives inspectorate.

FAQ: explosive risk in Reims

Reference : Wikipédia — Reims Cathedral

DEMINETEC operates in Reims and across France from our French head office (285 avenue Marcel Paul, 83500 La Seyne-sur-Mer, France). We mobilise teams and technical assets to fit each mission: documentary studies, short field surveys, or long-duration clearance operations.