Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WhiletheBattleofVerduntookplaceinthehillsoutsideoftown,thetownofVerdunitself
is worth a look, and is a handy base for exploring the battlefield sights.
WithahistorygoingbacktoRomantimes,Verdun'sstrategiclocationhasleftitwith
a hard-fought history. Locals call it “the most decorated town in France,” and cruising
throughitssleepystreets,itseemstherearewarmemorialseverywhere.It'samonochrome
place, with bullet holes still pocking its stony buildings. And it's small, with only 16,000
people—4,000fewerthanatthestartofWorldWarI.Mostoftheactionseemstobealong
the Meuse River on the Quai de Londres, where you'll find cafés and restaurants, as well
as recreational boats from all over this part of Europe.
Along the river, you'll also find the town's mighty 14th-century gate, which still of-
fers visitors a wary greeting and whose state-of-the-art (in the 17th century) fortifications
stillseempoisedtorepelforeignarmies.Justacrosstheriver,athickerwall—builtin1871
inanticipationofaGermanattack—supportsamammothmonumenttothevictimsofGer-
man invaders in both world wars.
Verdun is crowned byits
Victory Monument,
high above the river,with a cascading
fountain connecting it to the pedestrian heart of town. The fountain's centerpiece, a tower-
ing warrior, plants his sword in the ground in a declaration of peace. He's flanked by twin
cannons—madebytheFrenchfortheRussiansbutultimatelyusedbytheGermansagainst
the French at Verdun. While the monument originally honored French and Allied troops,
today it honors Germans, too. Now that a century has passed, the varied sights of the Ver-
dun battlefields have risen above national bias and memorialize all victims of that sense-
less war.
Today it's a springboard for visitors to the battlefield sights, but in 1916 Verdun was
the departure point for the battlefront. The
Citadelle Souterraine
was where French sol-
diers assembled, and had their last good bed, meal, and shower before heading into the
shelling zone. The citadel, with 2.5 miles of tunnels cut into a rock, was a teeming milit-
ary city. How big? Its bakery cranked out 23,000 rations of bread every day. Today, it tries
to give the public a glimpse at life on the front with a childish 30-minute ride on a Dis-
neyesque wagon that comes with a recorded narration (€7, open daily). Your Verdun time
is better spent at other battlefield sights.
Eating in Verdun:
You'll find several inexpensive restaurants in the pedestrian zone
and along the river.
Bolzon Charcuterie
on the pedestrian-only Rue Chausée has good
salads, quiche, and dishes to go. While the town of Verdun has lots of eateries, there's
only one decent café near the battlefields (near the Ossuary, described under “l'Ossuaire
de Douaumont” sight listing). If you're short on time, consider assembling a picnic from
shops in Verdun or at an autoroute minimart.
