Finally we visited Fort Douaumont and were presented with an iPod which played videos that direct you around the fort. When you walk around the outside of the building you can stoop down to look through the little windows and see the bones of the 130,000 unknown soldiers underneath although shocking it really brings the tragedy home to you. Although under construction, the inside is striking and there's some excellent photography of people with photographs of their loved ones. We went to the Verdun Ossuary second which I was very impressed with. It does the best that it can with the artefacts, etc but if you were pushed for time I'd miss out the museum and prioritise the ossuary and fort. We started with the memorial museum which was interesting but as we're students we paid a concession I wouldn't have wanted to pay the full price for it. There are three main parts to the Verdun memorial which are a short distance apart by car. The French Infantry Regiments that were involved are listed, and the inscription goes on to commemorate the actions of the 24th of October 1916, when the 4th Regiment retook Thiaumont Everyone should visit this place. A little further towards the Ossuary is another much smaller memorial in a similar style, commemorating that in June to October 1916 there was bitter combat at the Thiaumont Redoubt. It compliments the rows and rows of Muslim soldiers who are buried at the cemetery (all are facing Mecca).On the opposite side of the Ossuary is the Memorial to Israelites in the form of a large wall with red script upon it and like the Muslim memorial, it’s a nice touch. ![]() The memorial was not built when the NMBS first came to Verdun, so it was a nice site to see. The memorial is beautiful and is a nice touch to the 1000s of men from North African who died for France. This was originally a small monolith, but in recent years this relatively small monument has been relocated and placed inside a much grander structure, which was inaugurated on the 25th of June 2006 by Jacques Chirac. There is the Memorial to Muslim soldiers, overlooking the cemetery below the Ossuary. Beyond the cemetery sloping away from the Ossuary is Abri Caverne 320, where several chimneys rise from the cratered ground, and there are again excellent views across the valley beyondNear the Ossuary are several other sites of interest. Names are also inscribed on panels on the walls and the roof. Along the hall are alcoves (with the names of areas of the battlefields inscribed above them), and mock tombs inscribed with the names of cities in France. Their flickering flames glow amidst the dim red light that permeates the interior, giving the white marble walls an eerie blood red tinge. There are two main arms of the building leading off left and right from the entrance, with candles at each end. Inside the Ossuary itself, the atmosphere is similar to that of a cathedral - voices are hushed and the smallest sounds echo along the halls. Decorating the exterior walls of the Ossuary are the shields of many towns and cities across France and further a field - there is one for Londres (London). The slope below the Ossuary are the crosses of the French Cemetery here - a further 15,000 French soldiers are buried here, in the regular rows of graves seen in French military cemeteries. ![]() The view of the Cemetery in front is outstanding and you get a sense of the scale of the carnage. Like the steps of the American memorial at nearby Montfaucon, the I strode up the first few before requiring oxygen, but getting to the top was well worth it. The tower was open and so was the small museum and cinema (which shows a very moving film about the battle around the area). Through some of the windows can be seen neatly piled long-bones through others jumbles and scraps of bones as well as skulls. ![]() The building of this structure took some twelve years, and it was finally inaugurated in 1932.Inside the base of the building are collected the bones recovered from this battlefield - an estimated 130,000 skeletons and walking around the building one can peer through the small windows to see these grisly reminders of the bloodshed here. Right at the heart of the Verdun battlefield is the massive Ossuary located not far from the site of Fort Douaumont and the ruined village of the same name.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |