Verdun, France

After paying our respects at the Lorraine American Cemetery, we headed into the village of Verdun to see the historic battlefields.  The number of people who died here and the devastation caused by the battles are incomprehensible.  The area was so destroyed after the war (and full of leftover munitions) that the battlefield was declared a "Red Zone" and the nearby villages were unable to be rebuilt.

Our first stop in Verdun was the Douaumont Ossuary.  There is a very large (free) parking lot near the monument and it was easy to get to.  Inside you can visit the war museum and watch a video presentation (in English). However, they were closed during our visit (most everything is closed here in January).

Inside the Ossuary you can also view the tombs of over 130,000 unknown soldiers who died on the battlegrounds.  Each stone inside represents and is engraved with a missing soldier's name.

Outside you can see the dimpled battleground where an estimated one million plus unexploded shells are still buried.  This site has the most loss of life per square yard, of any battle in the history of mankind.

Our next stop was the Bayonet Trench Memorial which is where the 3rd Company of the 137th Regiment were found buried alive next to their bayonets (it is believed the entire line of soldiers were lying in the trench with their bayonets ready to repel an attack when a mortar hit, covering them immediately in mud and debris).

Our son had to use the restroom at this point (and we couldn't find anything open) so we drove the 10 minutes back into downtown Verdun to use a restroom at the Tourist Office.  Be prepared to bring in your own toilet paper and hand soap...it was just a metal bucket and sink...nothing else!

We then drove back to the destroyed village of Fluery before finally heading home for the day.  (The roads are well marked and there are walking trails throughout.  You can park and walk or drive and park at each location).  Although destroyed, each town still has it's own mayor and town council who are in charge of preserving it's memory.

 Again, everything was very well-kept and beautifully preserved.  We were so glad to have had this opportunity.  If you are ever in this region, this is definitely a trip to take!