November 11 – Armistice Day – is a moment of silence, reflection, and remembrance. Across Europe, we honour the millions who suffered through ‘The Great War’. The Belgian and French Ardennes played a pivotal role in both World Wars—making this region a poignant place to reflect on the cost of conflict.
With this three-part series, we revisit the legacy of Verdun. In this first post, we look back on the battle itself. In Part 2, we explore the scars still visible in the landscape, that you can also explore with our Audio Tour. And in Part 3, we take you into the city of Verdun, where memory lives on in stone and street names.
‘The Great War’ left deep marks on this region—visible and invisible. More than 60 million soldiers (out of a total population of 460 million) took part in the conflict. Among the bloodiest and most symbolic chapters was the Battle of Verdun.
By 1916, the war had ground to a senseless standstill. Trench warfare in 1914 and 1915 had turned the front into a deadly stalemate, with lives lost for every muddy metre. Both sides desperately sought a breakthrough. The Germans devised a chilling strategy: they would attack a location the French would be compelled to defend at all costs—and bleed them dry. That place would be Verdun.
Verdun guarded the entrance to the Champagne valley—and, with it, the road to Paris. On 21 February 1916, the German army launched its massive offensive. In just 48 hours, over 2 million shells rained down on the area. It was the beginning of a ten-month ordeal that would leave more than 700,000 soldiers dead, wounded, or missing, all within a battlefield scarcely larger than a few square kilometres.
The bombardment was so intense it could be heard 170 km away, even shaking windows in Paris. The landscape was shredded beyond recognition, transformed into a haunting sea of craters and ridges—a “shellscape” forged by relentless explosions.
More than a century later, parts of this terrain remain too dangerous to enter. Known as “la zone rouge”—the forbidden forests—they’re still off-limits, silent witnesses to a battle that changed the course of history.
In the next post, we guide you through these eerie traces—from trenches and forts to memorials and ossuaries. A landscape shaped by suffering. A region that remembers.
Self-guided car tour
Free Audio Tour on IZI.TRAVEL
Download the GPX-file
Starting point
55100 Haumont-près-Samogneux, Frankrijk
Distance from Lacuisine
60 km – 55 min by car
Links
Verdun played a pivotal role in the Great War. To keep the memory alive, we’re launching a three-part blog series—now complemented by our brand-new self-guided audio tour on IZI.Travel.
In this first part, we look back at the Battle of Verdun and its devastating toll. In Part 2, we take you on a day trip through the war-scarred landscapes: forts, trenches, cemeteries, and monuments that still speak volumes. And in Part 3, we’ll wander through Verdun itself—where the echoes of history still linger in the streets.
Verdun isn’t just trenches and trauma—it’s also riverside walks, peaceful parks, and a city full of stories. In this final part of our Verdun series, we explore how the city rebuilt itself after war, with stops from our free audio tour and cultural gems not to miss.
Verdun is a place full of visible and invisible reminders of WWI. We’ll take you through several points of interest around Verdun.
Slate, sweat and stories! Dive underground in the Ardennes and uncover the secrets of this stony heritage – fun come rain or shine.
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