The ossuary of Douaumont, near Verdun (France) is a must for a tour of the memorial areas of the First World War. There they meet, around the village and the fort of Douaumont, thousands of French and German soldiers, about 130,000 of whom are lying, unidentified, beneath the black and white crosses (different colors for winners and losers) and the necropolis. For 300 days in 1916, the armies clashed around there. Twenty-six million tons of bombs exploded killing at least 300,000 men.
In addition to the vast green meadows dotted with thousands of bicolor crosses, is the building of the ossuary to make an impression, for its grandeur. It should look like the handle of a giant as big sword stuck in the ground to say enough is enough with the war (although 6 years after the conclusion of the work of that monument, the war had already restarted).
Designed by the architects Léon Azéma, Max Edrei and Jacques Hardy, the shrine is 138 meters long, under which a long barrel vault protects a war museum, many individual graves and the ossuary. La Tour des Morts is 46 meters high and allows you to see the whole area and those who were the battlefields of 100 years ago.
From April to November around Verdoun there are organized tours to the places of the Great War, which also passes from Douaumont. The ticket costs 27 Euros and the visit lasts from 14:00 to 18:00.
How to get there:
By Alba V
Photos: ** Maurice ** , paularps
