0385 Verdun to Herne
20th October 2015
It was actually warmer when we woke up in the morning than it had been
last night – About 6 deg C ! The mist
had cleared and it was another fine morning.
We breakfasted and packed up, and headed into Verdun.
Founded by the Gauls, Verdun has been the seat of Bishops since the 4th
Century, and in 843 there was the Treaty of Verdun which divided Charlemagne’s
empire into 3 parts. It has been the
scene of many major battles over the years , including against the Prussians
during the French Revolution in 1792, and more recently in 1916 where a bloody
battle lead to over 800,000 deaths.
On our way into town we came to The Citadel – The original Verdun Citadel
on the top of a hill was built in the 1630’s as part of a plan to build a
defensive system around the city, but tunnels were later dug below the citadel,
in about 1890. Then, in the first world
war the Citadel became an
underground city,
with 6000
inhabitants, 4 kilometres of underground corridors, 6 gunpowder-stores, 7
ammunition depots, a mill, a water pump station, a bakery, a hospital, a
church, and an underground mini railroad for transports.
Despite Germany throwing
everything they could at Verdun, eventually they failed, and the Underground
Citadel came to symbolize the resistance of a whole nation. Today it is a museum, and we went on a tour
through the citadel that was extremely well run – You travel through the
tunnels on a small driverless electric cart, visiting the bakery, accommodation,
and living quarters. Very educational
and interesting.
After the Citadel we drove
through Verdun to the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Verdun – Originally built in 457
AD, it was greatly enlarged in about 1150, along with the cloisters. In 1755 a fire caused by lightening destroyed
much of the roof and towers, and later it was damaged again during WW I. It has since been extensively restored in its
original design, and the crypt, dating back to 990, was only rediscovered
during this renovation.
Next door to the Cathedral
is the World Centre for Peace and the Rights of Man, located in what was
previously the residence of the Bishops of Verdun. This is an impressive compound, with an
enormous central courtyard, and the main building now houses an information
centre. On visiting this, we were
directed outside where there are big gardens from the sides of which one
overlooks the town of Verdun. At the far
end of the garden is a section of the Berlin Wall that was donated to the Peace
Centre.
On leaving Verdun we
stopped briefly at a little boulangerie where we bought freshly baked sticky
buns as well as some bread for our lunch.
On the way out of town we passed a large French cemetery which now kind
of completed the historical journey for us, starting with the Normandy Beaches
and cemeteries, through Norway, and on down to Poland. Not originally a plan,
it has turned out to be a very moving mental journey.
We drove across the French
countryside for an hour or so, and then suddenly passed a turning into a town –
And we glimpsed an old bridge as we passed.
So we stopped quickly and did a U turn and went down into the town –
Mouzon, claiming 2000 years of history.
The very narrow archway through the wall was deeply scarred from
vehicles that couldn’t judge their width too well, and inside we found this
charming little town and the 11th century Abbey Notre-Dame. An
amazing little town that we just happened to find off to the side of the road –
You never know what you will find when you are driving through the countryside
like this.
Pics are here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0385VerdunToHerne?authkey=Gv1sRgCK7-wa-kgLipWg
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