Fortress Douaumont is a classic monument of engineering from the First World War in France, on the Western Front. The fate and history of the fortification during the battle for Verdun is very interesting. Abandonment by the French army, use by the Germans, battle for Douaumont.
Fort Douaumont Museum – the famous WW1 battlefields fortress near Verdun.
Fort Douaumont was built as part of a fortified defense area of France, starting from the 1890s, consisting of a system of 19 fortifications surrounding the city of Verdun. During the First World War, the fort fell into the very epicenter of the battle for Verdun, which lasted 300 days and is known throughout the world as the largest battle. Read more about the history of Fort Douaumont.
Fort Douaumont museum, Verdun WW1 battlefields tour guide
There is a museum inside the fortress. Guns and light small arms of the armies of the countries participating in the First World War. Entire fragments of the internal infrastructure of the fortress with sleeping quarters, dining rooms, service rooms have been restored.
Fort Douaumont museum, WW1 Verdun battlefield tours
Interesting Facts.
When there was a battle for Verdun, one of the French aviation pilots was a Russian Ace, nicknamed “Cossack”.
During an excursion from Paris to the battlefields near Verdun, be sure to visit this fortress. The building was well preserved despite heavy shelling and bombardment. The forts were designed just for this. It also makes sense to go on the road to Champagne, near Reims, before or after Verdun, to see another such building – the Pompelle fortress
Set on real battlefields, the fort ranks among the best World War I museums in France. This world heritage site is included in the program of all excursions to the battlefields of the First World War in the area of the city of Verdun.
Fort Douaumont is a well-preserved engineering and fortification structure from the late 19th to early 20th century. Recommended for visits to the 100th anniversary of the First World War for both adults and children. Useful and interesting.
Reviews of visiting Douaumont Fort.
France has a large number of forts from the First World War, but only a small number are available for internal inspection. Douaumont is on this list of forts that you can explore inside. The summer tourist season has not yet arrived and I easily found a taxi to get to this place. The cost of a trip from Verdun to Douaumont Fort was about 50 euros, but the time of the visit to the dungeon was limited by waiting for the car. The first thing you need to do is take a photograph of the entire fort. The fort is large and long, so I walked some distance from the entrance. There was no rain, but mud remained everywhere. After a quick outside inspection, I bought a ticket and went inside. The fort has not undergone any cosmetic repairs and remains unchanged as it was 100 years ago. Traditional authentic twilight, dampness and echo from any sounds. To be completely immersed in living history, you need to turn on a soundtrack with the sounds of artillery fire, as is done in the “Battle of the Somme 1916” Museum. The floor is made of stones and looks authentic. To the left and right of the passages there are rooms with various old equipment covered in rust. Waiting for a taxi did not allow me to study the structure of the dungeons in more detail, but for the first acquaintance I was satisfied. I will come here again in the summer.
WW1 Verdun battlefield tours from Paris
- WW1 Verdun battlefield private tours from Paris by a car trough Champagne Word War 1 museums & forts