We have been travelling in France for a week now, but before we take our first longer (urbex) break, we still have one spot on the agenda - but to get there we have to complete a long hike in the scorching heat. On the cliff of a steep scree slope we come across a strange vehicle that has a truly crazy story to tell: What is hidden up here in a forest in the Ardeche is a probe that reflects the history of the conquest of space. This is a so-called Veronique rocket, named after a research laboratory in Normandy, developed from 1947 onwards to study the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. In fact, it was exactly such a sounding rocket that inaugurated the launch pad built in the French space center in Kourou on April 9, 1968. The Veronique probes were to be in use until the mid-1970s, but how and, above all, why did the rocket and truck end up here on this rocky peak? The story is bizarre: it was a renowned second-hand dealer, whose shop was at the foot of the rock a few hundred meters below, who bought the probe in the 1990s from army surplus, put it on a truck with a ladder and finally drove it up to the edge of the cliff. The rocket was a kind of promotional item that could be seen from afar and business actually boomed as a result, it became a place of pilgrimage for antique lovers who traveled from far and wide in the hope of finding some special treasures here. One day the gendarmerie rang the antique dealer's doorbell; the army's surveillance satellites had spotted the Veronique and the military was very concerned because the rocket was aimed at a nuclear power plant. The aim was to calm the police down and bring them to the site so that they could see that the rocket was completely empty and posed no danger. The company ultimately existed until 2015, the battle against online trading proved insoluble, the building was sold and converted into a café. The rocket is still there though and has now become a pilgrimage destination for Urbexers - due to its unusual location on a scree slope but certainly also because of its bizarre history! We've been traveling in France for a week now, but before we take our first major (Urbex) break, we still have one spot on the agenda - but to get there we have to complete a longer hike in the scorching heat. On the cliff of a steep scree slope we come across a strange vehicle that has a truly crazy story to tell: What is hiding up here in a forest in the Ardeche is a probe that reflects the history of the conquest of space. This is a so-called Veronique rocket, named after a research laboratory in Normandy, developed from 1947 to study the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. In fact, it was precisely such a sounding rocket that inaugurated the launch pad built at the French space center Kourou on April 9, 1968. The Veronique probes were supposed to be in use until the mid-1970s, but how and, above all, why did the rocket and truck get up here to this rocky peak? The story is bizarre: it was a reputable second-hand dealer, whose shop was at the foot of the rock a few hundred meters below, who bought the sample from army surplus in the 1990s, put it on a truck with a ladder and finally had driven up to the edge of the cliff. The rocket was essentially an advertising item that could be seen from afar and business actually boomed as a result, it became a place of pilgrimage for antique lovers who traveled from far away in the hope of finding some special treasures here. One day the gendarmerie rang the doorbell of the antique dealer, the army's surveillance satellites had discovered the Veronique and the military was very worried because the missile was aimed at a nuclear power plant. The aim was to reassure the police and bring them to the site so that they could see that the rocket was completely empty and posed no danger. The company ultimately existed until 2015, the fight against online trading proved insoluble, the building was sold and converted into a café. However, the rocket is still there and has now become a pilgrimage destination for Urbexers - due to its unusual location on a scree slope but certainly also due to its bizarre history! #urbex #lostplace #viral MUSIC: powered by Epidemic Sound FOLLOW ME: / lostplacetapes / lostplacetapes / lostplacetapes