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Douaumont () is a former Arrêté préfectoral
19 December 2018
The village was a single street lying on an east-west axis and appears to have been connected to a local industry. The population was probably around 100 to 200.
The village was totally destroyed during
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...
department in Grand Est
Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten;
Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administr ...
in north-eastern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Douaumont-Vaux.19 December 2018
History
The village was a single street lying on an east-west axis and appears to have been connected to a local industry. The population was probably around 100 to 200.
The village was totally destroyed during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. Today the Douaumont Ossuary, which contains the remains of more than 100,000 unknown soldiers of both French and German nationalities found on the battlefield, stands high above the landscape.
Douaumont Fort
The fort was built south-east of the village. The construction work for Fort de Douaumont started in 1885 and thefort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
was continually reinforced until 1913. The fort is situated on some of the highest ground in the area.
At the very beginning of the Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
(February 1916) and due to French unpreparedness, the fort was easily captured by a small German raiding party. Douaumont was later recaptured by the French Army in October 1916, after major casualties on both sides.
See also
* Douaumont Ossuary * Zone rouge (First World War) * List of French villages destroyed in World War I *Communes of the Meuse department
The following is a list of the 499 communes of the Meuse department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):La Grande Illusion (film, Jean Renoir, 1937)
Les fort Séré de Rivières le fort de Douaumont
GPS-Teamprojekt "Verdun - Somme - 1916"
Photos of exterior and interior of Fort Douaumont
{{authority control Former communes of Meuse (department) Buildings and structures in Meuse (department) Duchy of Bar
References
*"Douaumont.Vérité et Légende", Alain Denizot,1998,Librairie Académique Perrin,. * "Fort Douaumont" (Revised edition), Christina Holstein, 2010, Pen and Sword Books Ltd, .External links
Les fort Séré de Rivières le fort de Douaumont
GPS-Teamprojekt "Verdun - Somme - 1916"
Photos of exterior and interior of Fort Douaumont
{{authority control Former communes of Meuse (department) Buildings and structures in Meuse (department) Duchy of Bar