The best walks and hikes around Etang Du Haut Fourneau

This is the fort's entry into the war

This impressive gun turret rises above the fort here. Know that you can visit the technical room of this.

Silent witnesses to the destructive madness

Memorial Ici fut ornes detruit en 1916 was erected for the lost village and the Martyrs of Ornes. At this location you have a beautiful view over the lost village of Ornes. The Memorial was erected by Touring Club France

On 21 February 1916 at 07:15 (German time was 1 hour later) 1225 guns poured their fire over the French lines in front of Verdun. The gunfire was so intense that a subterranean rumbling and booming could be heard and felt up to 170 kilometres around Verdun. As far away as Trier, Saarbrücken and Paris the air vibrated and windows rattled. French pilots who flew over Verdun during the bombardment reported seeing gigantic columns of flames and smoke and that the front looked like a smoking industrial city. This is consistent with the comment of General Petain, who estimated that a million shells were fired on that first day alone. The bombardment lasted for almost 5 hours, until 12:00. Then a short pause in firing was called. The idea was to tempt the survivors to come out of their shelters to recover from the horrors of the drumfire. They would then be destroyed after 10 minutes by even heavier cannon fire. After the pause, the bombardment continued until about 16:30. Then it stopped. Then the infantry attack began. The German soldiers climbed out of the assault trenches and began to cross the bombed terrain. Nothing happened for the first few hundred meters. The cannon fire had completely destroyed the first French lines. But at the second defense line things were different. It turned out that there were still survivors, who were defending themselves furiously. The bombardment had not only killed and stunned the French. It had also filled the survivors with a rage and fury that made them fight to the end. At the end of the first day, the Germans had gained about two kilometers of ground. Yet they had encountered more resistance than they had expected. And the losses were also higher than originally thought. A tiny sign of what was to come. Triggered? Want to know more? Click through to https://www.cirkwi.com/fr/point-interet/1269507-monument-sommieres-paul

For enthusiasts who want to marvel at this impressive hall. Here you come face to face with a war machine.

Fort Douaumont is a remnant of the First World War. One of the most powerful constructions and a symbol of the Battle of Verdun. More than a return to the past, a visit to this place immerses us in the heart of a legendary confrontation and tells us about the lives of those who lost their lives there. Fort Douaumont was built between 1884 and 1886 and was an extremely strategic location during the Battle of Verdun. It is also to this battle that the Fort owes its fame. The fort has been a listed historical monument since 1970 and, at an altitude of 400 metres, it offers a view of the valley south-west of Douaumont. As a building barely finished, it was almost immediately outdated because of its masonry construction. Indeed, at that time, new shells were able to destroy masonry structures. That is why Fort Douaumont was covered with a thick layer of concrete in the most sensitive and exposed places. The effectiveness and resistance of the weapons make this fort one of the most powerful buildings in the entrenched camp of Verdun. From the beginning of the First World War, the village of Douaumont and its surroundings were put in a state of defense: trenches were dug, barricades were built, barricades were hung. At first, the village managed to defend itself. But, from 1915, the village could no longer hold out. The stabilization of the front line then changed the type of battle. On February 21, 1916, the Germans attacked Verdun. Fort Douaumont was a privileged target: in two days, it was hit by 800 shells. In a few days, the front line came dangerously close to the fort. Four days after the start of the battle, it was already in the hands of the German army. For eight months, the French army fought to retake the fort, using many shells. It was not until October 1916, after 6 days of preparation and the deployment of exceptionally dense artillery, that yet another attack succeeded in recapturing the fort. In the Fort Douaumont Museum, many films, photos, archive material and testimonies tell the story of the fort and the heroic soldiers who fought there. A moving discovery that is a good addition to a visit to the fort. Source: https://www.landofmemory.eu/nl/sites-historiques/fort-douaumont/

This tunnel has an important historical value in the conquest of Fort Douaumont on 24 October 1916. A plaque mentions the regiments that were responsible for this heroic act. In particular, the Sappers Ygon and Dumont were appointed 'Knights of the Legion of Honour' for their heroic action.