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Verdun Battlefield Tour |
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The Underground Citadel |
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| Home to over 10,000 troops during the battle, today the
Citadel's tunnels and galleries contain life-size
reconstructions depicting conditions at the time and
combat in the trenches. The French Unknown Soldier was
chosen here in 1920.
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Fort Douaumont |
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| This was the largest of the Verdun forts but was sadly
neglected and fell without a struggle. The fort's
machine-gun posts, barrack room, observation bunkers
and casemates can be visited between April and
October. |
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The Trench of Bayonets |
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The Trench of Bayonets & Ossuary commemorates
soldiers of the 137th Regiment who were buried under a
bombardment.
The nearby Ossuary contains the remains of 130,000
unknown soldiers and The National Cemetery is the
resting place of a further 15,000 French
troops. |
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Fleury |
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| In the heart of the battlefield, the "lost" village of
Fleury was one of nine communities destroyed during the
battle. |
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Verdun Memorial Museum |
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| The exhibits at the Verdun Memorial Museum evoke stark
images of the battle. |
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Fort Vaux & the Lion Memorial |
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It took six days of fighting in Fort Vaux's tunnels
before the Germans overcame Major Raynal's Poilus. The
galleries contain barracks, a chapel and two 75mm
guns.
Beyond Fort Vaux, the Lion Memorial marks the high tide
of the German advance. |
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Mort-Homme & The Sacred Way |
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On the left bank of the Meuse, the German 5th Army
attacked the heights of Mort-Homme. Trench-works still
remain.
Several miles to the south lies Verdun's sole supply
road - the Sacred Way - widened during Petain's
reorganization of Verdun's defences. |
