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 t ...
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 It superseded three former administra ...
in north-eastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
Since the end 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 ...
in 1916, it has been unoccupied (official
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
Haumont-près-Samogneux
Haumont-près-Samogneux (, literally ''Haumont near Samogneux'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
The capture of the town by the German Fifth Army began the Battle of Verdun during World War I in 1916. ...
,
Cumières-le-Mort-Homme
Cumières-le-Mort-Homme is a ghost commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Since the end of the Battle of Verdun in 1916, it has been unoccupied (official population: 0), as have Bezonvaux, Beaumont-en-Verdunois, ...
and
Fleury-devant-Douaumont
Fleury-devant-Douaumont (, literally ''Fleury before Douaumont'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
During the Battle of Verdun in 1916 it was captured and recaptured by the Germans and French 16 times. ...
.
During the war, the town was destroyed and the land was made uninhabitable to such an extent that a decision was made not to rebuild it. The site of the commune is maintained as a testimony to war and is officially designated as a "village that died for France." It is managed by a municipal council of three members appointed by the prefect of the Meuse department.