One day WW I
Verdun
Itinerary of the day
Verdun centrum (The
underground citadel)
The fort Douaumont
The ossuary
The National cemetery of
Douaumont
The destroyed village of Fleury
The bayonets trench
Morning programme (starts at ±1030)
The Underground Citadel (±1h), a unique reconstruction of the lives of
the "Poilus" (French soldiers) during the First World War. The visit is
conducted underground in a small train, which passes through
underground rooms and passages. Visitors can also see a reconstruction
of a trench battle and the scene in which the Unknown soldier was
selected.
Lunch (±1h)
1 meal + 1 beverage included
Afternoon programme (starts at ±1400)
The Fort Douaumont (±1h)
Fort Douaumont was the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 large
defensive forts protecting the city of Verdun. It was also the most
heavily armed of the region.
However, by 1915, the French General Staff had concluded that even
the best-protected forts could not resist bombardments from the
German 420 mm howitzers. These giant howitzers had proven their
efficiency easily with the large Belgian forts in August 1914. As a result,
Fort Douaumont had being judged ineffective and had been partly
disarmed since 1915.
The visit of the fort will make you understand how it had been captured
by only a few German soldiers and how it was finally recaptured by
three French Divisions, bringing closure to the Battle of Verdun.
The Ossuary & The National Cemetery of Douaumont (±45 min)
The Douaumont ossuary is a memorial containing the remains of
soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Battle of Verdun.
During the 300 days of the Battle of Verdun, approximately 230,000
men died out of a total of 700,000 casualties (dead, wounded and
missing).
The Ossuary contains the remains of 130 000 non-identified soldiers.
The National Cemetery of Douaumont holds the remains of 15 000
identified French soldiers who have fallen at Verdun.
The destroyed Village of Fleury (±45 min)
During the war, the village of Fleury was completely destroyed and the
land was made uninhabitable to such an extent that a decision was
made not to rebuild it. The area around the municipality was
contaminated by corpses, explosives and poisonous gas. The site is
maintained as a testimony to war.
Arrows guide visitors to where the street and houses used to be.
The Bayonets Trench (±30 min)
The bayonet trench was discovered after the war. It was completely
filled in with soil and at regular intervals protruded rifles, with bayonets
still fixed to their twisted and rusty muzzles.
On excavation, a corpse was found beneath each rifle. It was deduced
that soldiers had placed their rifles on the parapet ready to repel any
attack and — rather than abandon their trench — had been buried alive
to a man there by to a man there by the German bombardment.
Tour Manager: Didier Parmentier
Manager of the Time travel Company
(Cellular phone number: +32 (0)471/531918)