Верден: История и Память Французского Города

Subprefecture and commune in Grand Est, France

Verdun (/v//ɜːr/'/d//ʌ//n/, /alsoUK/'/v//ɛər//d//ʌ//n/, /US//v//ɛər/'/d//ʌ//n/, vɛʁdœ̃; official name before 1970: Verdun sur Meuse) is a city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is Bar le Duc, which is slightly smaller than Verdun. It is well known for giving its name to a major battle of the First World War.

Verdun is situated on both banks of the river Meuse, in the northern part of the Meuse department. It is connected by rail to Jarny. The A4 autoroute Paris–Metz–Strasbourg passes south of the town.

Verdun (Verodunum, a latinisation of a place name meaning "strong fort" in Gaulish) was founded by the Gauls. It has been the seat of the bishop of Verdun since the 4th century, with interruptions. In 486, following the decisive Frankish victory at the Battle of Soissons, the city (amongst several other nearby cities) refused to yield to the Franks and was thus besieged by King Clovis I. The 843 Treaty of Verdun divided Charlemagne's empire among his three surviving grandsons. Around this time a city called Verdun was the centre of the thriving European trade in young boys, who were sold to the Islamic emirates of Iberia, where they were enslaved as eunuchs. The Italian ambassador Liutprand of Cremona, as one example in the 10th century, presented a gift of four eunuchs to Emperor Constantine VII. The identity of the "Verdun" mentioned in sources is disputed because there are many cities called Verdun in Europe (such as Verdun sur Garonne in Occitania and Verdun sur le Doubs). While many still identify it as Verdun on the Meuse, some argue that Verdun sur le Doubs is a more feasible identification. It is also possible that Liutprand was referring to Verona. This consisted of a mutually supporting ring of 22 polygonal forts up to from the city and an inner ring of 6 forts.

Despite the extensive fortifications, in the Battle of Verdun in 1792 the fortress was captured by the Prussians during the War of the First Coalition. The battle was fought on 20 August 1792 between French Revolutionary forces and the Prussian army. The Prussian victory opened the path to Paris for the invading armies. However the Prussians were unable to press their success and abandoned Verdun following the Battle of Valmy.

There are many French and German cemeteries throughout the battlefield. The largest is the French National Cemetery and Douaumont Ossuary near Fort Douaumont. Thirteen thousand crosses adorn the field in front of the ossuary, which holds roughly 130,000 unidentified remains brought in from the battlefield. Every year yields more remains, which are often placed inside the ossuary's vaults. Among many revered memorials on the battlefield is the "Bayonet Trench", which marks the location where some dozen bayonets lined up in a row were discovered projecting out of the ground after the war; below each rifle was the body of a French soldier. It has been assumed that these belonged to a group of soldiers who had rested their rifles against the parapet of the trench they were occupying when they were killed during a bombardment, and the men were buried where they lay in the trench and the rifles left untouched. However, this is probably not historically accurate: experts agree that the bayonets were probably affixed to the rifles after the attack and installed by survivors to memorialize the spot. Nearby, the World War I Meuse Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is located at Romagne sous Montfaucon to the northwest of Verdun. It is the final resting place for 14,246 American military dead, most of whom died in the Meuse Argonne Offensive. The chapel contains a memorial to the 954 American missing whose remains were never recovered or identified. On 12 September 1916 King George V awarded the Military Cross to the City of Verdun, one of only two awards of this British decoration to a municipality during World War I, the other being Ypres. On 5 October 1917, Bernardino Machado, President of the Portuguese Republic, awarded the City of Verdun the Order of the Tower and Sword, 1st Class (Grand Cross) for its "tenacious resistance, steadfastness in battle, and heroism of its garrison, having filled a brilliant position in the present war and gloriously proving the worth of a nation's valour and patriotism"; the investiture ceremony took place on 10 October 1917, during President Machado's visit to the Western Front.

The Châtel Gate is the only remaining part of the medieval city walls. It leads onto La Roche Square. La Citadelle was built in the 17th century. It is still in military hands but the underlying tunnels can be visited. Verdun Cathedral (Notre Dame de Verdun) was consecrated in 1147 but was built on the site of an earlier church. The 12th century Lion Door on the north side has a lavishly decorated tympanum. The whole building was heavily restored in the 18th century. The Episcopal Palace was built in the 18th century by Robert de Cotte and has a fine façade. Part of the building is occupied by the World Peace Centre. The Princerie Museum is located in the former residence of the Primicier (the highest ranking public servant) of Verdun. It contains historic work of art from the region. The "Subterrean Citadel" is situated at the entrance of Verdun. It holds of shafts that used to accommodate soldiers during the war. The former Abbey of St Paul houses the palais de justice and the headquarters of the sub prefecture of Meuse.