Cemeteries to visit Lorraine

Gorged with the blood of thousands of American soldiers, the Meuse naturally welcomed a vast 56-hectare necropolis in 1918. To the east of the village of Romagne-sur-Montfaucon (40 km from Verdun), this cemetery, owned by the US government, has 14,246 marble crosses. 486 graves contain unknown remains, while the walls of the chapel are engraved with the names of 954 soldiers who disappeared during the fighting. Like all American memorial sites, the site, which is also the largest in Europe (for the First World War), respects beautiful proportions and a linearity that suits the solemnity of the place. Since 2016, the sumptuous residence overlooking the cemetery has been home to an interpretation centre, which provides visitors with an immersive experience through the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The building's entrance has been designed according to the codes in effect during the 1920s, in order to recreate the atmosphere that grieving families found when they visited. A memorial room is dedicated to the history of the cemetery. Using the interactive screen, you can flip through the digitized record of the very first visitors to the site. You will also discover a part of the military history, the ins and outs of the American intervention in 14-18, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the daily life of the soldiers during the fighting, the equipment used on the front. A giant screen projects a film combining period images and historical reconstructions.

In the heart of a forest at an altitude of more than 800 meters, 3,538 French soldiers are buried in this military cemetery, classified as a National Necropolis. A dignified burial for these men who died for France during the First World War, during the Battle of the Linge between July and October 1915, led by Marshal Joffre on the French side. A 13-meter high granite cross stands at the back of the cemetery as a tribute to these men and the suffering they endured.

Leaving Belleville-sur-Meuse and taking the direction of Fleury-avant-Douaumont, commemorative stelas from the former military cemetery at Marceau barracks stand on the edge of the state forest. These previously abandoned abandon at the cemetery location were réstaurées in 2006 and displaced by approximately metres the following year. Two graves belong to two young men aged 20, killed during the Great War and rewarded by the Legion of Honour.