Where is verdun in france

Today, the traces of war are buried under thick forests, the soldiers' vast network of communication trenches overgrown — and haunted by their ghosts. Plenty of rusty battle remnants and memorials are still accessible. A string of battlefields can be found along an eight-mile stretch of road outside the town of Verdun. From here it's possible to see with a guided tour, rental car, shuttle bus, or taxi the most important sights and appreciate the horrific scale of the battle.

You can ride through the eerie moguls left by the incessant shelling, pause at melted-sugar-cube forts, ponder plaques marking spots where towns once existed, and visit a vast cemetery. To get a good overview, start at the Verdun Memorial Museum , which delivers gripping exhibits about the battle with lots of information in English. The museum is rich in artifacts and works to pair German and French objects; for example, you'll see a circa loaded-up German rucksack right next to a French one.

In one part of the museum, a battlefield replica — complete with mud, shells, trenches, and WWI military equipment — is visible through the glass floor. You can learn about medical help in the trenches and leaps in technology from X-ray machines to machine guns with synchronized firing, which prevented bullets from hitting airplane propeller blades.

I found out that the majority of injuries in this battle weren't caused by machine-gun bullets, but by shrapnel: Every time an artillery shell exploded, jagged bits of the shell's casing sprayed like buckshot.

On both sides, most men died without ever seeing the enemy. Like Fort Douaumont, Fort Vaux was another of the series of forts near Verdun, constructed after the Franco-Prussian War to defend against any future attack.

One can walk around the top of the fort and as at Fort Douaumont there are excellent views over the surrounding countryside. Mort-Homme was a small hamlet before the war.

There are the remains of trench lines in the trees nearby, but without doubt the most striking and well-known feature here is the main Mort-Homme monument. It is estimated that 10, Frenchmen lost their lives here. The memorial was unveiled in On the plinth of the memorial, officers are listed by name, but there are simply lists of regiments to remember the rank and file soldiers who died.

There are other interesting sites in this area, and more information can be found on the Left Bank page. There are two German cemeteries in the northern area.

In Mangiennes is another German cemetery, which is extremely interesting because of the original grave markers that can still be seen. The massive gun located here fired the opening shot in the Battle of Verdun.

This was originally a naval gun, intended for a battleship which was never completed. The breech of the gun alone weighed over two tons. Each shell weighed kg, and they were transported by small carriages on tracks. When the gun was fired, a fifteen metre long flame came from the muzzle, and the noise could be heard from miles around. There are other interesting sites in this area, and more information can be found on the Northern Area page.

Camp Marguerre is located some ten miles or so north-east of Verdun. This was a German experimental site where the use of concrete was studied. It is set deep in a forested area Spincourt Forest. Captain Marguerre, after whom the Camp is named, was an engineer who worked in Berlin before the War. He and his men were sent to the Spincourt sector, to create a camp to test the use of concrete in war fortifications.

This is a small village made up of concrete buildings — not all of which are conventional bunkers or blockhouses. Every attempt was obviously made to make this place as comfortable as possible. And being behind the lines and well camouflaged, life was probably relatively peaceful and regular, compared to those involved in the fighting nearer to Verdun. In the Germans abandoned the site, and in the local inhabitants removed much of the furniture and fittings that they left behind.

During the Second World War, the French Resistance used the buildings here as hideouts to avoid discovery. More information can be found on the Camp Marguerre page. You must be logged in to post a comment. Trench of Bayonets. Trench lines still visible near Verdun.

Barbed wire near Verdun. Remains of defences at Fort Douaumont. The Ossuary, Verdun. The French Cemetery with the Ossuary behind. Disturbed ground. Building housing the Trench of Bayonets. The line of crosses at the Trench of Bayonets. One of the crosses at the Trench of Bayonets. One of the corridors within Fort Douaumont. A dormitory in Fort Douaumont. The latrines at Fort Douaumont. A cross on the wall……behind which are the remains of German soldiers. The exterior of Fort Douaumont.

Fortified positions on the exterior of Fort Douaumont. Gun turret at Fort Douaumont. SIgn for the destroyed village of Fleury. The land at Fleury still bears the scars of shelling. The white posts mark where the village streets once ran. Memorial Museum at Fleury. The land at Douaumont still bears the scars of shelling. Additional information Verdun. Places of interest. Tourist Office of Verdun.

Museum of La Princerie. Abbey Saint-Paul. Cathedral Notre-Dame. Fort of the Regret. Theatre of Verdun. Train station of Verdun. Tourist Office of Grand Verdun. Remains of the First World War. Sedan Castle Fort. Don't miss the Cathedral of St. Stephen and its Gothic cloister. Its rampart walk, ornamental fonts, municipal museum and more Auberge du Moulin Haut. All restaurants around Verdun.

Familyland 'Terroir de Familles'. All vacation rentals around Verdun. Les Jardins du Mess. Hotel de Montaulbain. Hotel Saint Paul. All hotels around Verdun. Guide of the Meuse Unmissable places and recommendations in the Meuse.

Lorraine Guide to the territory - Tourism and staying here. Guide of Verdun Tourism, breaks and holidays around Verdun. Municipality of Verdun Detailed tourist information about the municipality of Verdun.