The best traffic-free bike rides around Consenvoye

Tevens stands at the church's image: The Cross of the Hunters of Briant Cross of the Hunters of Driant in Vacherauville (Meuse) after the First World War. At the end of 1915, the monument in the form of a statue of France, sword in hand, imploring the heavens for victory was erected, but destroyed by the Germans in February 1916. At the end of the conflict, the former hunters erected a new, identical statue, but this time with the sword in its sheath, as shown on the Bleujonquille website.

Notice how the water level of the canal is higher than the water level of the Meuse.

The Ossuary of Douaumont is an impressive memorial that holds the remains of more than 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers who died during the Battle of Verdun (1916). The bones are visible through small windows in the base – a confronting reminder of the horrors of war. In front of the ossuary is the Nécropole nationale de Douaumont, the largest French military cemetery of the First World War, with 16,142 graves, including a Muslim and Jewish plot. The complex was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.

Since 2006, a monument has stood on the hill of Douaumont in memory of the 30,000 Muslim soldiers who died for France during the First World War. Inaugurated by President Jacques Chirac, it consists of a semicircular gallery with Arab architectural elements. In the middle is a column with the inscription: “À la mémoire des soldats musulmans morts pour la France”. The monument recognizes the diversity of the French army and honors the contribution of soldiers from North Africa and other parts of the then French empire.

The Mémorial de Verdun, located near the ruined village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont, is a leading museum and commemoration site for the Battle of Verdun (1916). The museum displays more than 2,000 objects and uses authentic objects, photographs and audiovisual installations to show how French and German soldiers experienced this battle – in the exact same place where they fought.

Among the thousands of fallen soldiers who rest here is Caporal Louis Micol, a soldier of the 19th Battalion of Chasseurs à Pied. He was not only a soldier, but also the founder of one of the first French front newspapers: Le Son du Cor, a trench newspaper written by and for soldiers. Micol died on 18 September 1915 in Brabant-en-Argonne and is buried in grave no. 390. His story is a reminder that even in the midst of the violence of war, soldiers sought ways to make their voices heard, share experiences and preserve their humanity.

Military cemetery created in 1916 during the Battle of Verdun. It contains the remains of 6,537 French soldiers, including 2,000 in ossuaries. Most of them died in 1916 on the right bank of the Meuse, near strategic points such as Côte 344 and Thiaumont. In 1961, 151 soldiers who died in the Second World War were also buried there. The necropolis covers 3.2 hectares and was set up between 1919 and 1934

The church of Vacherauville was rebuilt after the destruction of the Battle of Verdun (1916) and is an example of sober reconstruction architecture. Inside is the “Vitrail du souvenir”, a commemorative stained glass window in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel Émile Driant, who died at the Bois des Caures. The window, designed by Jean-François Aute, shows Driant at the head of his battalions and was donated by veterans of the 56th and 59th Chasseurs à Pied.