Verdun

The underground fortress of Verdun is carved into the Vauban mural – you can visit it on a small train as part of a route retracing the life of a soldier. It was here that the unknown soldier was chosen whose body lies under the arc de triomphe in Paris.

The underground fortress of Verdun
Avenue du 5ème RAP – 55100 Verdun
Tel. +33(0)3 29 84 84 42
Fax +33 (0)3 29 86 62 02

The Notre-Dame cathedral in dates from the year 990 and was listed as a historical monument in 1906. The architecture is Roman, with a flamboyant Gothic cloister.

La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Verdun
7 Place Mgr Ginisty, 55100 Verdun
Tel. +33(0)3 29 86 07 68

The episcopal palace of Verdun, listed as a historical monument in 1906, on which began in 1724 and was completed in 1763, was occupied by the bishops of Verdun and, having survived the First World War, is today the seat of the World Centre for Peace, Liberty and Human Rights.

Palais Episcopal
7 Place Mgr Ginisty, 55100 Verdun
Tel. +33(0)3 29 86 07 68

Douaumont

Fort Douaumont was built between 1885 and 1913 and is the largest and most accessible fort. Its strategic position meant that it was taken multiple times by the Germans and the French. It was a significant reference point, an observatory and provided excellent protection.  

Fort Douaumont
55100 Douaumont
Tel. +33(0)3 29 84 41 91

The Douaumont ossuary is a necropolis built between 1920 and 1926. While 300,000 French and German soldiers were listed as missing during the war, 130,000 unknown French and Germans reportedly lie under the ossuary. Facing the ossuary is a huge cemetery, containing 16,142 individual tombs of identified allied soldiers.

Douaumont ossuary
55100 Douaumont
Tel. +33(0)3 29 84 54 81

The bayonet trench has passed into legend and provides a striking example of the horror of Verdun. On June 11th, 1916, 57 men who were preparing for an assault were buried alive by an exploding shell. 

Bayonet trench
D913, 55100 Douaumont
Tel. +33(0)3 29 85 41 52

Le fort of Vaux, built between 1881 and 1884, is the symbol of French heroism, the heroic story of Commandant Raynal during the battle of Verdun. Close to the Douaumont site, the conflict zone encompasses 7 villages which were destroyed during the war.

Vaux fort
Vaux fort, 55400 Vaux-devant-Damloup