Douaumont Ossuary

The Douaumont Ossuary, constructed between 1920 and 1932 in Art Deco style, is France's national memorial to the unidentified dead of the Battle of Verdun — the longest and one of the most devastating engagements of World War I. Its crypt and glazed bone alcoves along the exterior walls hold the remains of over 130,000 French and German soldiers, interred together without distinction of nationality. A 46-metre central tower rises above the pockmarked hills of the Meuse, whose surrounding forests still fall within the Zone Rouge, sealed off due to unexploded ordnance and soil contaminated by the fighting. The interior chapel and flickering candles create a near-silent atmosphere of collective mourning. More than 550,000 visitors came in 2019 alone, making it one of Europe's most-visited sites of remembrance.