We are in Verdun, a city known for many things, but its name immediately reverberates with the tragic history of the Battle of Verdun in the First World War. Trench warfare in this relatively small area was horrific with enormous loss of life. This battle lasted from Feb. 21 to Dec 18 in 1916, for 302 days, the longest and most costly in human history. Between the two armies involved, French and German, there were 300,000 deaths and countless damaged survivors.
We have come to Verdun for a couple of reasons…of course it is on the route and a beautiful city, but we feel compelled to visit the renowned Verdun Memorial Museum and ride around the battlefields and cemeteries. There is much to honour and to try to understand what happened here.
We typically stay in affordable 2 star places, like Hotel du Tigre. We find them to be basic, good value and comfortable. This old hotel has a lot of charm and character. Hotel du Tigre’s claim to fame is that it has survived 2 World Wars, and considering what Verdun has been through, that is indeed an accomplishment.
We have an early start today as our plan is to ride out of town and up to the site of the Verdun Battle which lasted 11 months. We want to visit the Verdun Memorial Museum and cycle around this historic area. We are enjoying our ride on this lovely quiet road taking us to the museum. Despite the bucolic peacefulness of our ride, signs designating a battle or event, and the sight of trenches or depressions from shellings are a stark reminder of where we are.
To protect the historic integrity of this area, the topography has not been altered from what war did to the landscape. This photo shows one of the trenches where so many men lived for weeks at a time. The death toll was extremely high.
In 1920, the bishop of Verdun worked to bring about the building of the monument pictured above. The tower is 150 feet high, which included at its base, two galleries representing the cross guard of a sword plunged into the soil. The purpose of this monument was to house the remains of 130,00 French and German soldiers, recovered from the combat zones of Verdun. It also contains the names of 5,000 missing soldiers.
What struck us throughout the day was the conviction by the French to provide a resting place for all who fought for France in defence of Verdun. Much work was done to recover the unknown and provide them with a resting place with honour. The cemetery at Fleury-Dumont contains 16,000 individual graves, a Muslim sector of 592 graves and a special sector for unknown soldiers whose remains have been recently discovered.
Three floors of this museum reconstruct all the details of the Battle of Verdun, On the first floor we are given a view of the point of view of foot soldiers. On the second level, the battle environment and the role of each combatant is explored. The first air battle in history took place in Verdun.
Various helmets that soldiers adapted to camouflage them from enemy fire. The top right was a helmet with a metal face mask. The helmet with barbed wire was a bit more fanciful in that soldier covered the wire with flowers and leaves.
This was a huge three tiered screen showing up close moments of shelling and trench warfare. It was a sobering experience to participate as a viewer in this interactive exhibit, giving one a small glimpse in to the reality these soldiers endured. Mary Ellen spent some time watching this with headphones that provided more information but could only do it for so long.
Faces of the battle…this is just a small portion of this installation. All sides of the battle are represented. We were impressed that the creators of the museum took an approach that looked at the soldiers of both sides as victims of this war. Ultimately the focus was on the horrors of war….all are victims and share a humanity which transcends which side is right or wrong.
Some of non-human heroes of the war who were decorated for their bravery. Valiant, the carrier pigeon who braved enemy territory to deliver messages, carried the final message through poison gas and enemy fire to Verdun from Fort Vaux before it surrendered. He was awarded the Order of the Nation medal. Constantine the Supply donkey who despite being damaged with schrapnel, losing his ears, etc reached the trenches snd was cared for by the soldiers as one of their own. seargent Stubby, a pit bull with the American army, had an amazing sense of smell, enabling him to warn them of gas attacks and find the wounded. He is most famous for finding a German spy who had infiltrated the French front lines.
When soldiers were given a reprieve from the front lines in the trench and sent to the rear. They used their time to turn the materials of war into useful objects or souvenirs.
Not an easy visit, but worthwhile and recommended. Despite the horrors of this war, which were presented clearly, the focus was on humanity and the suffering of both sides of the battle.
We are in France, the home of the Tour de France, and pelotons of road riders are a common sight. Roadies often ignore us, but in France they are very friendly.
Oh dear…this is not good. The booklet we have for the Meuse Route lacks some detail…we keep hoping to find a guidebook. We are on the “green route” which is deteriorating. Not good for a fully loaded tandem.
Sigh, what a wonderful thing pavement is for a fully loaded tandem. We have moved back in time to our pre e-motor times. Barry find a that he can keep the motor going on the lowest setting some of the time.
It is indeed a small world. We met this fellow when we stopped at a grocery store for dinner and he is from Port Townsend Washington, a place we know well and close to home. We used to ride there to attend a wonderful Jazz Festival.
Dinner…wine, baguette, terrine, cheese, mini veggie flans, quiche and carrot, salad. All made on site and very reasonably priced. Fresh veggie flans for 80 cents.
What a day it has been. The Verdun Museum was sobering, informative and redemptive, we rode over 60 km with a dodgy motor, we saw great scenery and now we can celebrate with a great meal at our hotel in Dun-sur-Meuse. Life is good. We will sleep well tonight.
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles) Total: 815 km (506 miles)
