hey what's up guys we are here in the memorial de Verdun
behind me is the Verdun memorial dedicated to the german
soldiers and french soldiers who fought during world war one between 1914-1918
located in the hills around verdaun surrounded by millions of shells which killed more than
three hundred thousand soldiers and wounded four hundred thousand in less than a year is
the verdun memorial museum it retraces the history of the most famous battle of the first world war
it is one of europe's leading first world war museums opening in 1967 in gratitude
to the work of a group led by maurice genevoix ex-serviceman and member of the academie francois
most of the verdun veterans were approaching old age and they wanted to leave a reminder of the
sacrifices made by their generation for those coming after them so the project aroused an
amazing level of generosity donations flooded in from veterans associations verdun town council made
its own substantial contribution a nationwide call for donations in france proved very successful
the building was built on the old railway station fleury devant douaumont a stucky robust building
stands on the very spot where the battle took place inside visitors can see photos
personal items and objects donated by former soldiers or their families
for anybody seeking to feel understand and pass on the true meaning of verdun the memorial museum is a
must see after more than four decades the building is still a living reminder but worn by time
modernization was required and the layout had to be redesigned to be more meaningful to younger
generations there are no survivors left to remember the battle so without losing the
essence of genevoix's work it became important for the memorial to pass on a new message
and explain the battle between the french and german forces to the younger members of society
the museum was briefly closed in september 2013 for extension and renovation
it was reopened in february 2016 for the centenary of the battle the new layout combines a learning
experience taking visitors into the heart of the great war in the franco-german battlefield
so let's go inside and explore
the ground floor faithful to the intuition of the founders of the memorial
the representation of the battlefield in 1916
remains at the heart of a visit to the memorial encased in a glass cage a broken screen extends
an unprecedented audio visual show evokes the violence of the battle
with the convulsions of a land assailed by a shell fire
it combines archival images and artistic expressions of combatants
modest and fragile witnesses the combatants everyday objects can be found all around
in an untreated wooden display cases
further on the trucks and cannons of the sacred way
recall the noise of the engines and the animation of the archive images
what was the logistics of this gigantic battle
at the end of the first level the visitors can enter
an enclosed space buried under the screens of the battlefield the intimacy of the combatant
hold up in a shell hole on the front line of the battle can be approached
now the first floor it offers the discovery of the environment of the battle
like who is leading the battle? how is life going on the french and german rear fronts?
what is the role of aviation in the first air battle of history
there is also an exhibit of the destroyed villages
the colonial soldiers their memoirs and their contribution to the battle and war
the journalists who cover the war
the religious services and chaplains
the douaumont ossuary
the last part of the visit exposes the heroic action of the health services
the visit ends in the original entrance hall which is dedicated to the history of the memorial
now to the last floor the terrace or the top floor
bathe in light opens into the environment of the memorial visitors can access the
terraces and discover a panorama multimedia terminals tell the story of the battlefield
they present contemporary aerial images that reveal the traces of the war
today hidden by the forest
temporary exhibition is also accessible at this level as well as documentation center right now
they have the exhibits of the founder and the people behind the red cross
during the war as well as their contribution throughout the years
there are also some artworks inspired by the war in the battle
so that's it for the verdun memorial museum i hope you enjoyed the tour until next time bye
so guys if you like our videos please subscribe to our channel and feel free
to comment hit the bell hit the bell hit the bell hit the bell come on guys hit the bell
for notifications and don't forget to
share