REIMS and VERDUN - France 2014 - page 1511

crossdesignofthisbuildingsymbolizeswar...andpeace(imagineaswordplungedintothe
ground up to its hilt). Over time, fewer visitors come as pilgrims and more as tourists. Yet
evensomeonewho'sgivenlittlethoughttothehumancostofthisbattleofattritionwillbe
deeply moved by a thoughtful visit to this somber place.
Cost and Hours: Free entry, €5.50 for film and tower; daily April 9:00-18:00,
May-Aug 9:00-18:30, Sept 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, March and Oct-Nov 9:00-12:00 &
14:00-17:00 or 17:30, Dec and Feb 14:00-17:00, closed Jan; tel. [phone].
Eating: The nearby Café Abri des Pelerins is the only place to eat among all these
Verdun monuments (just beyond the Ossuary on the road to Douaumont).
Visiting the Ossuary: Park behind the theater/shop/tower. In the back, look
through the low windows at the bones of countless unidentified soldiers—probably more
German bones than French ones. From there, steps lead down to the shop and theater
where you can see the excellent 20-minute film (English-speakers get headphones with
adjustable volume) and hike 200 steps up the tower (skippable). While you can visit the
interior of the memorial for free, the film and access to the tower require a €5.50 ticket.
The little picture boxes in the gift shop adjacent to the theater are worth a look and worthy
of a museum in themselves.
The Mémorial Ossuaire is a humbling, moving tribute to the soldiers who believed
the propaganda that this, The Great War, would be “the war to end all wars” and that their
children would grow up in a world at peace. The building has 22 sections with 46 granite
graves, each holding remains from different sectors of the battlefields. The red lettering
on the walls lists a soldier's name, rank (“Lt” is lieutenant, “Cal” is corporal, “St” is ser-
geant), regiment, and dates of birth and death.
Walk through the cemetery and reflect on a war that ruined an entire generation,
leaving half of all Frenchmen ages 15 to 30 dead or wounded. Rows of 15,000 Christian
crosses and Muslim headstones (oriented toward Mecca), all with roses, decorate the
cemetery.
Just beyond the main cemetery you'll find memorials to the Muslim and Jewish
victims of Verdun. The Muslim memorial (built in 2006, just across the street from the
cemetery) recalls the 600,000 “colonial soldiers” who fought for France, most of whom
were Muslims from North Africa. These men were often thrown into the most suicidal
missions and were considered instrumental in France's ultimate victory at Verdun (a fact
often overlooked by anti-immigration, right-wing politicians in France today).
Jews (who were offered French citizenship if they enlisted) also fought and died in
great numbers. The Jewish memorial (which you'll pass as you drive out of the Ossuary)
survived World War II. That's because the Nazi governor of this part of France, who had
fought at Verdun and respected soldiers of any faith, covered it up.