Like others I’ve mentioned, these villages are tucked into the Hautes-Meuse.
Again the photos tell the story…
Haumont-près-Samogneux
Louvemont
Fleury-devant-Douaumont
Since the end of the Battle of Verdun in 1916, when it had been captured and recaptured by the Germans and French 16 times, it has been unoccupied. Before the war Fleury was a village of 422 that produced agriculture and woodworking.
During the war, the town was completely destroyed and the land was made uninhabitable to such an extent that a decision was made not to rebuild it. The area around the municipality was contaminated by corpses, explosives and poisonous gas, so no farmers could take up their work.
It is a wooded area next to the Verdun Memorial. Arrows guide visitors to where the street and houses used to be.
The Memorial was like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdun_Memorial but is
currently undergoing considerable refurbishment (hence no current photos) due to re-open in 2016. I think this may be to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Verdun which commenced on 21st February 1916.
An account of The Battle of Verdun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun with links to the destroyed villages.
The villages now and previously covered in this series took place on the right bank of the Meuse river. The remaining destroyed village - Cumières-le-Mort-Homme - is on the left bank and will feature in the next and final part of this series.
The figures and the photographs emphasise the sadness of these events - almost like ghosts. It is difficult to believe that such destruction happened so recently historically speaking. If only humans would learn to solve disputes differently
ReplyDeleteI agree, Alison - the photos show so much more than words. As to your last comment - Amen to that.
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