アザンヌ＝エ＝スーマザンヌのおすすめライド

The Ossuary of Douaumont is an impressive memorial that holds the remains of more than 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers who died during the Battle of Verdun (1916). The bones are visible through small windows in the base – a confronting reminder of the horrors of war. In front of the ossuary is the Nécropole nationale de Douaumont, the largest French military cemetery of the First World War, with 16,142 graves, including a Muslim and Jewish plot. The complex was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.

The Mémorial de Verdun, located near the ruined village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont, is a leading museum and commemoration site for the Battle of Verdun (1916). The museum displays more than 2,000 objects and uses authentic objects, photographs and audiovisual installations to show how French and German soldiers experienced this battle – in the exact same place where they fought.

Silent witnesses to the destructive madness

For enthusiasts who want to marvel at this impressive hall. Here you come face to face with a war machine.

The monument consists of five figures representing the five corps of the army involved in the 1916 battle: a horseman, an engineer, a territorial man, an infantryman and an artilleryman.

The monument to the dead and children of Verdun, built in 1928, rests on the crescent-shaped road built in the 17th century by order of Marshal Vauban. It stands on the site of the military butchery that was destroyed in 1916.

The War Memorial in Honour of the Citizens of Verdun, erected in 1928, is built in the La Chaussée demi-lune, part of the fortifications built in the 17th century by Marshal Vauban. The monument stands on the site of the former military slaughterhouse that was destroyed in 1916. The statues represent the five weapons of the French army that were involved in the battle of 1916. From left to right we can see: a cavalryman, a sapper-engineer, an infantryman, also known as a "poilu", an artilleryman and a reservist. These five soldiers form a human wall that symbolises the motto of the city: "They shall not pass". The names of the soldiers of Verdun who died in the First and Second World Wars are inscribed on the base of the monument. See also: A statue of General Sarrail opposite the monument and a bust of General Mangin on the wall of the city wall on the right. NOTE: Verdun's patriotic calendar is full and the commemorative ceremonies of 1 and 11 November take place in front of this monument. Be sure to visit in the evening, when the War Memorial Verdun is illuminated in the French national tricolour. Source: Tourism Verdun

Take a moment to pause between the ossuary and this stone garden; tranquility reigns here. Don't forget to thank our brave soldiers for their ultimate sacrifice.