Verdun based at the mouth of the river Meuse, is not so much a grim experience but more of a sobering one. Anyone inclined to take a closer look at what contributed to shaping post WWI Europe should not miss this.

A son or daughter studying modern European history or any of the WWI poets, will get more from a detour here than from any textbook or poetry critic.

During the war an eventual 1 million soldiers - the majority French - lost their lives fighting in the surrounding border countryside. It was particularly devastating for the French as the battle was fought on their native soil against an old enemy. The price paid for eventual victory was the practical decimation of the young male population.

Fort de Douaumont near Verdun

The Kaiser’s troops never actually took the town of Verdun - coming within five kilometres - repelled and eventually crushed with the help of American troops under General Pershing. However, it was the French General Pétain, whose reputation for organising the defence of Verdun, that the history books recall.

Pétain’s victory eventually paved the way for him to preside over the collaborationist Government in Vichy during part of WWII.

Today, on the road to Verdun sad memorials stand in villages and hamlets listing the names of the men who lost their lives in the tortuous battles.

Bar le Duc

The town of Verdun quietly boasts a Rodin memorial to the dead by the 18th century gateway at the north end of Rue St Paul. The town’s cathedral of Notre Dame - a bit of a mish-mash of remodelled styles - exhibits its earlier romanesque origins. Originally bricked up in deference to prevailing baroque fashions, they were uncovered, ironically, thanks to shell damage in 1916.

The citadel, which despite war damage retains its original 12th century tower, is now the Musée de la Citadelle Militaire. An audio-visual display recreates Verdun’s role in the war and ends showing how the "unknown soldier" was chosen for re-internment under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in 1920.

Heading out to the now grassed-over battlefields beyond the town of Verdun, follow the D913 or minor road D112. These hills north of the town, around Fort de Souville and beyond, silently bore and continue to bear witness to the past events. The massive Ossuaire de Douaumont containing bone fragments of more than 100,000 soldiers and the adjacent cemetery with 15,000 crosses is very moving.