I hadn’t been into the Ossuary for several years. The following have changed:
A. The film has been updated pretty well. It used to be in different languages, run an 20 minute intervals. It is now all in French, but you get a translation headpiece. Worth seeing.
B. The large photographs of veterans, taken in 1916 and in 1986’ish have been taken down.
The fort at Vaux (worth a visit, I think it’s better to see than Douaumont) now offers English headpiece translations. I believe that the fort at Douaumont now does the same, too.
I picked up quite a good simple guidebook to the Verdun battle main sites. It has clear location maps and good explanations, all in English. Worthwhile, if you intend a visit, particularly if you can spend a couple of days, as it’s a big area. I’ll go back at some point to see the less well known places, all featured in the book.
The huge craters at the destroyed hilltop village of Vauquois are worth a visit. You can see how pre-cast concrete (a German invention in 1914) was used.
We spent a day, starting with the memorial on the Via Sacra. Then to the main museum, then to the Ossuary, then Vaux, the bayonet trench and then to Vauquois. I think this is a pretty good way to do things in, as it brings some sort of order and sequence to the events of the 10 month battle.
A. The film has been updated pretty well. It used to be in different languages, run an 20 minute intervals. It is now all in French, but you get a translation headpiece. Worth seeing.
B. The large photographs of veterans, taken in 1916 and in 1986’ish have been taken down.
The fort at Vaux (worth a visit, I think it’s better to see than Douaumont) now offers English headpiece translations. I believe that the fort at Douaumont now does the same, too.
I picked up quite a good simple guidebook to the Verdun battle main sites. It has clear location maps and good explanations, all in English. Worthwhile, if you intend a visit, particularly if you can spend a couple of days, as it’s a big area. I’ll go back at some point to see the less well known places, all featured in the book.
The huge craters at the destroyed hilltop village of Vauquois are worth a visit. You can see how pre-cast concrete (a German invention in 1914) was used.
We spent a day, starting with the memorial on the Via Sacra. Then to the main museum, then to the Ossuary, then Vaux, the bayonet trench and then to Vauquois. I think this is a pretty good way to do things in, as it brings some sort of order and sequence to the events of the 10 month battle.