Fleury-devant-Douaumont
Fleury-devant-Douaumont
Fleury-devant-Douaumont
4.5
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Toine21000
Villeurbanne, France174 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
One of the towns completely razed by the bombings of the First World War. The relief of the places allows us to imagine a little of what this war could have been like. Paths mark the old streets of the village and small signs present the buildings which existed before 1914. Here a farm, here the school. I had come to Verdun as a child, I remembered the forest around Fort Vaux, and this infinity of shell holes. In Fleury in front of Douaumont, with the eyes of an adult who has seen numerous documentaries on this issue, the feeling felt is even stronger than as a child. Nature has reclaimed its rights, but traces of the past remain gripping. Really, a place to come when visiting Verdun and its surroundings, a place. In addition, access is completely free.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a great place for an Instagram story, don't come and disrespect this place.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a great place for an Instagram story, don't come and disrespect this place.
Written 19 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chamdexor
Chesterfield, VA1,632 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
I'm a woman in my 40's from the US. I have no direct connection to WWI. But I'm a fan of history and since we were traveling with my young tween/teens, I wanted to show them this area hoping that when they get to World History in high school, that this may resonate with them. We were leaving for CDG airport but we woke up early so that we could visit some of the grounds near Verdun on the way. It's funny how something can leave such a lasting impact in a very short amount of time.
Our first stop was Fleury-devant-Douaumont around 8:00 a.m. No one was there but some landscapers. Otherwise, it was just us. We parked the car and got out. I walked about halfway and burst into tears. It's one thing to walk into a museum and peruse paintings and sculptures that someone created years ago or to read a book someone wrote. It's quite a different feeling entirely to walk upon earth permanently scarred from a constant barrage of mortars that wiped away hundreds of thousands of young men and families and an entire village. It's not humbling to be there. It takes away breath to be there. It's as close to walking with ghosts as you could be. Terrifying, horrific, mesmerizing. I consider this an absolute must. And if you are so inclined... say a prayer.
Our first stop was Fleury-devant-Douaumont around 8:00 a.m. No one was there but some landscapers. Otherwise, it was just us. We parked the car and got out. I walked about halfway and burst into tears. It's one thing to walk into a museum and peruse paintings and sculptures that someone created years ago or to read a book someone wrote. It's quite a different feeling entirely to walk upon earth permanently scarred from a constant barrage of mortars that wiped away hundreds of thousands of young men and families and an entire village. It's not humbling to be there. It takes away breath to be there. It's as close to walking with ghosts as you could be. Terrifying, horrific, mesmerizing. I consider this an absolute must. And if you are so inclined... say a prayer.
Written 26 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CPaM68
Texas784 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We visited Fleury-devant-Douaumont as part of a day trip tour out of Paris. It was quite different and a little eerie to visit a site that had nothing there, but in doing so I learned a lot more about WWI. We only had a short stop as with most day-trips tours, but our driver did a good job of giving us some info while we were still riding in the van. Nearly everything I learned about WWI on this tour was new information to me. For my generation, the history of WWI was largely ignored and forgotten with the emphasis in school being on WWII. What I learned was that on February 21st, 1916, an artillery barrage marked the beginning of a German attack that would later become known as the Battle of Verdun. Before the war Fleury-devant-Douaumont was a small village of over 400 people, surrounded by farms. It contained a town hall, bakery, blacksmith shop, church, school, grocery-cafe, and woodworking shop. Today it has an official population of zero. The village was completely destroyed and, because the area was so contaminated and polluted with ammunition, explosives, poisonous gas, and decaying corpses, it was deemed uninhabitable for both living and farming. Today, arrows and white poles guide you down the three streets of the village as you wander among the trees. Stone slabs inform you as to what building once occupied a particular plot of land. There are a few stones in the ground, but otherwise there is nothing. It's hard to imagine that in these peaceful wooded rolling hills, over 300,000 soldiers were killed in the infamous Battle of Verdun.
Written 5 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebecca F
Bicester, UK279 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
As memorials go, the lost villages are poignant, restful and eerily essential to help visitors understand the sense of loss brought on by war. To place yourself in the shoes of former residents, notice the absence of life and community and your local history wiped from the face of the land is chilling. The sacred ground left behind, undulating with bomb craters and devoid of buildings save for the restored church was green with grass and trees, and so very peaceful - a fitting place for solemn, silent reflection on the futility of war.
Written 1 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patty W
15 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
We went to the Douamont Ossuary, one of the most powerful monuments we've ever visited. When a friend saw our photos, she asked if we'd been here and upon reading about it, we went back just to see it. Hard to find and completely worth it. Some 9 villages we're completely destroyed in the battle of Verdun. Fleury changed hands 16 times and was set aside as a memorial. It is both terrible and beautiful. Children died here, along with farmers, weavers, tinsmiths, shopkeepers, teachers and soldiers. Visiting honors their sacrifice.
Written 23 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fi S
London, UK525 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
Walking through the remains of the village brings home just how heavily shelled the Verdun area was throughout the war. Fleury changed hands some 16 times during this period, and the area is saturated with shell craters. You can walk through and find markers showing where the blacksmith, school, wash house, farms and so forth were sited. Human remains continue to be found here - link a visit here with a trip to the Ossuary to see where they are laid to rest.
Written 28 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
faeimmmario
Heidelberg, Germany580 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
Next to Mémorial Verdun is a place which used to be the village Fleury, one of nine villages which were completely destroyed in 1918 during the Battle of Verdun.
As we walked along the path leading to the restored chapel in the heart of the former village, it was horrifying to imagine the devastation suffered by Mother Nature, caused by explosives and poisonous chemicals. Even though the landscape is now covered with greenery, the bomb craters are still visible. We had been advised to stay on the path and not wander too far away, lest we stumble across some "unpleasant reminders" left over from the war. As recent as in 2013, archaeologists unearthed 20 skeletal remains after a chance discovery by hikers in the area.
We passed many markers throughout the area, a poignant reminder of the people who used to live there and their homes, all wiped out simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There are several small memorials in place as well, food for thought for visitors to reflect on the atrocities of war, an appeal to humankind to make sure that this does not happen again.
As we walked along the path leading to the restored chapel in the heart of the former village, it was horrifying to imagine the devastation suffered by Mother Nature, caused by explosives and poisonous chemicals. Even though the landscape is now covered with greenery, the bomb craters are still visible. We had been advised to stay on the path and not wander too far away, lest we stumble across some "unpleasant reminders" left over from the war. As recent as in 2013, archaeologists unearthed 20 skeletal remains after a chance discovery by hikers in the area.
We passed many markers throughout the area, a poignant reminder of the people who used to live there and their homes, all wiped out simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There are several small memorials in place as well, food for thought for visitors to reflect on the atrocities of war, an appeal to humankind to make sure that this does not happen again.
Written 5 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John B
Toronto, Canada2,863 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
It's almost impossible to imagine the total devastation that was wrought on the Verdun front during WWI. A half dozen villages including Fleury were wiped right off of the map. All that remains today are some small piles of rubble, foundation outlines and markers pointing out what stood where. The site has now largely been overgrown with trees which only makes it more poignant. There are pathways which criss-cross the site and small memorials scattered throughout. There's plenty of parking along the highway (be careful!).
Written 17 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EvaF2Eva
Lorrach, Germany5,147 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
There are a few villages which were totally damaged during the Battles of Verdun. We visited two of them: Douaumont and Fleury-devant-Douaumont. Although both places look peaceful nowadays and time healed the wounds, seeing the craters after explosions and stones reminding of the farms and houses, which were destroyed, it makes you feel misery and sadness and think of the cruelty of the war.
Both places have beautiful little chapel and several small memorials.
Both places have beautiful little chapel and several small memorials.
Written 18 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Westow_Yanks
York, UK75 contributions
Sept 2016
Fleury was one of several villages that was obliterated during the fierce fighting in Verdun in WWI. This site outlines the original layout of the village to show what was destroyed, with bomb craters and rusted equipment poignantly reinforcing how this once was a living place.
Written 24 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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