![]() It has a number of small tunnels going through the mountainside that are only narrow enough to let one car through, meaning that oncoming traffic has to stop. scenic) route is the D71 highway, nicknamed the Corniche Sublime, and which connects the towns of Comps-sur-Artuby and Aiguines. Scenic Route: A rather more exciting (i.e. Along the way, stop at the bridge “ Pont du Galetas” for beautiful views of the gorge. You can read more tips about driving in France here.Įasier route: The main route départementale along the Gorges are the D952 and D23 highways which connects the nearby towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. I don’t particularly recommend driving on routes départmentales at night, especially if you are unfamiliar with the road. The battle, which lasted 300 days and cost more than 300,000 French and German lives in 1916, was also one of the bloodiest of The Great War. Effectively, however, you may not be able to drive that speed because the roads are quite winding up and down mountains, with blind corners so give yourself plenty of time to get there. The Battle of Verdun, in northeastern France, was the longest sustained conflict of World War I. The speed limit on these roads is 90km/hr (56 miles/hr). In practical terms, this means that there are no large highways nearby, but instead smaller one-lane roads without road dividers, called Routes Départmentales. It is advisable to travel via car as there are no near bus stops or train stations outside of Verdun.The entire area around the Gorges du Verdon is protected by the Regional Natural Park of Verdun. There is parking on site large enough for coaches. It is extremely close to Verdun Battlefield, Fort Vaux and of course, Fort Douaumont. Getting to Douaumont Ossuaryĭouaumont Ossuary is located just north of the city of Verdun, which lays roughly 50km south of the border between France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Visitors to the Douaumont Ossuary can view a twenty minute film on the heroism of the Verdun soldiers in German, English and Dutch, which is shown every half hour. The first floor of the Douaumont Ossuary is dedicated to a museum of the First World War which includes weaponry, pieces from destroyed villages and the Minenwerfer, a well preserved 76 mm German mortar. Visitors can climb to the top of its tower for panoramic views of these fields. Made up of an imposing stone structure with a 46 metre tower and beautifully maintained fields which house a cemetery with the graves of a further 15,000 French soldiers, the Douaumont Ossuary overlooks the battlefield of the Battle of Verdun. It also has a chapel where ceremonies take place. These remains can been seen through small windows inside the Douaumont Ossuary and the Ossuary’s cloisters are lined with plaques of the names of fallen soldiers and the locations of where each body was recovered. ![]() The Douaumont Ossuary houses the bones of approximately 130,000 unknown soldiers from both sides, marking a fitting reminder to the savage consequences of this battle and the war as a whole. The Battle of Verdun was one of the fiercest during World War One, lasting from 21 February 1916 to December 1916 and resulting in estimated casualties of 400,000 soldiers for each of the French and German armies who fought in it. The Douaumont Ossuary in Verdun, France, is a memorial site to the soldiers who died whilst fighting in the Battle of Verdun during the First World War.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |