The lessons of Verdun, 100 years later

Tribune Content Agency The museum is rich in artifacts and works to pair German and French objects; for example, you’ll see a circa 1916 loaded-up German rucksack right next to a French one.

In one part of the museum, a battlefield replica — complete with mud, shells, trenches and WWI military equipment — is visible through the glass floor. You’ll learn about medical help in the trenches and leaps in technology (from X-ray machines to machine guns with synchronized firing, which prevented bullets from hitting airplane propeller blades). I found out that the majority of injuries weren’t caused by machine-gun bullets, but by shrapnel: Every time an artillery shell exploded, jagged bits of the shell’s casing sprayed like buckshot. On both sides, most men died without ever seeing the enemy.

Another key sight for visitors is Fort Douaumont, just northeast of Verdun. Constructed in 1885, the fort was the most important stronghold among 38 hilltop fortifications that protected France from a German invasion. Built on top of and into the hillside, it ultimately served as a strategic command center for both Germany and France at various times. Soldiers were protected by a thick layer of sand (to muffle explosions) and a wall of concrete 5 to 7 feet thick. Visitors today can experience these corridors, where soldiers were forced to live like moles, scurrying through 2 miles of cold, damp hallways.

Visitors can also climb to the bombed-out top of the fort to see the round, iron gun emplacements that could rise and revolve. The massive central gun turret was state-of-the-art in

1905, antiquated in 1915 and essentially useless when the war arrived in 1916. From the perch at the top, looking out at fields leading to Germany and imagining the carnage in that horrible battle is an unforgettable experience. On the battlefield nearby, a young

French officer named Charles de Gaulle was wounded; he spent the next 32 months as a German POW.

The nearby Douaumont Ossuary is the tomb of unknown French and German soldiers who perished in Verdun’s muddy trenches. In the years after the war, a local bishop wandered through fields of bones — the remains of about 130,000 unidentified soldiers. Concluding that they deserved a respectful final resting place, he began raising money for the project — which was officially inaugurated in 1927. The building has 46 granite vaults, each holding remains from different sectors of the battlefield. The unusual artillery-shellshaped tower and cross design of this building symbolizes war ... and peace (imagine a sword plunged into the ground up to its hilt).

In addition to this sobering sight at Fort Douaumont, today there is a beautiful sight as well. German, French and European flags wave alongside one another, as if to exclaim, “We learned, and we won’t do this again.” Say what you like about the European Union, it’s hard to deny what a great accomplishment it has been to weave together the economies of two historic enemies — and foster the empathy that comes with getting to know each other. In 1914, most French soldiers had never met a German, and vice versa — making it all too easy to carelessly kill each other.

Thanks in large part to the EU, we live in a different world today, built on a solid foundation for maintaining European peace — a lesson that bears repeating as we mark the end of the Great War.

Rick Steves (www.ricksteves .com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.

RICK STEVES/RICK STEVES’ EUROPE PHOTOS The Douaumont Ossuary holds the remains of more than 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers from the WWI battle in Verdun, France. The building has 46 granite vaults, each holding remains from different sectors of the battlefield.

Northeast of Verdun, visitors can explore Fort Douaumont, with its miles of tunnels built to avoid enemy artillery.