Name: Kaiser Tunnel
Rating: 1.5

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Kaiser Tunnel

Kaiser Tunnel

Recommended by 2 hikers out of 4

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Location: Lachalade, Verdun, Great East, France

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Best Hikes to Kaiser Tunnel

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1. In Argonne Meusienne — loop from Neuvilly-en-Argonne

27.0km

07:18

370m

Expert hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Expert

4.3

(3)

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2. Kaiser Tunnel loop from Boureuilles

1.99km

00:32

20m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.0

(1)

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3. Cimetière de la forestière – Le Ravin du Génie loop from Lachalade

15.4km

04:07

180m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

Paul_C

September 8, 2023

If you are looking for a historic and adventurous hike in the Argonne Forest, you can explore the Kaiser Tunnel near Lachalade. This tunnel was built by the German army during the First World War to allow the movement of troops and supplies without being detected by the enemy. The tunnel is approximately 350 meters long and has various facilities such as a hospital, kitchen and generator room. You can access the tunnel through the north entrance or the south entrance, both of which are classified as historical monuments. The tunnel has been closed to the public since 2012 for security reasons, but you can still admire its impressive structure and imagine the life of the soldiers who went through it. The Kaiser Tunnel is part of a network of other tunnels and trenches that you can also visit in the region.

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Monts&Forts

April 23, 2024

The exterior is completely fenced, the entrance is no longer even visible, although apparently a historical monument. A shame to leave this site abandoned...

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Ronald Cossee

August 18, 2024

verdun1916.eu/?p=5031 The Kaisertunnel is part of a series of three tunnels. In the north the Ortlieb tunnel, in the middle the Kaisertunnel and in the south, closest to the front line, the Verbindungs- or Bataillonstunnel.

The Kaisertunnel was the first to be built by the Prussian infantry in late 1915, early 1916, with the intention of connecting the Meurisson valley with the front. The tunnel is 350 m long, but with all the adjacent rooms and side tunnels the length becomes 455 m. A characteristic of the Kaisertunnel, but also of other German tunnels, is the S-bend that is made halfway. This is not only to prevent an enemy who has penetrated from shooting through the entire tunnel, but especially to break the shock wave of a possible explosion. French tunnels are generally straight.

The work on the Kaisertunnel started as purely manual work, but after an electrical system was installed in the southern part of the tunnel, drilling machines were also used. Water supply in the tunnel was possible from a nearby source in the Meurissonsdal.

In the southern end of the tunnel, in a corridor that descends to the west, the former passage to the Verbindungs or Bataillonstunnel can still be seen. The connection has collapsed over a length of several dozen meters.

In the northern part of the Kaisertunnel, a hospital with an operating room was created. Injured people could go to bed here very
extremes. The remains of the many facilities (first aid station with operating room, the telephone exchange, electricity station, etc.) are still visible today.

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Elevation 250 m

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Wednesday 15 October

17°C

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Max wind speed: 9.0 km/h

See hikes here

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Location: Lachalade, Verdun, Great East, France

Kaiser Tunnel

1. In Argonne Meusienne — loop from Neuvilly-en-Argonne

2. Kaiser Tunnel loop from Boureuilles

3. Cimetière de la forestière – Le Ravin du Génie loop from Lachalade

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