Douaumont ossuary
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[edit] History
During the 300 days of the Battle of Verdun (21 February 1916–19 December 1916) approximately 230,000 men died out of a total of 700,000 casualties (dead, wounded and captured). The battle was known as the 'Verdun meat grinder' and was in fact conducted on a battlefield less than ten square kilometers.
[edit] Ossuary Information
The ossuary is a memorial containing the remains of soldiers who died on the battlefield. Through small windows, the remains of 130,000 unidentified French and German soldiers can actually be seen filling small, windowed alcoves around the edge of the building. Inside, the ceiling and walls are covered by some of the names of soldiers who fell in the battle of Verdun. Some of the names are from the fighting in the area in WWII. The families of the individual soldiers recognized here paid for their plaques. In front of the monument lies the largest cemetery of France outside Paris with 15,000 graves. The ossuary was officially inaugurated on 7 August 1932 by French President Albert Lebrun.
[edit] Architecture
The architects of the ossuary were Léon Azéma, Max Edrei and Jacques Hardy. The tower is 46 meters high and has a panoramic view on the battlefields. The tower contains a death-bell, Bourdon de la Victoire, which is sounded at official ceremonies and the lantern of the death which shines on the battlefields. The cloister is 137 meters long and contains 42 alcoves. On the first floor is the war-museum with the remains of the destroyed villages, 3D-photos, and arms.
