Tremendous tunnel novembre 1915 - février 1916 (≈ 1916)
By the 9th Regiment of Lorrain Infantry 173.
mars 1916
Infrastructure development
Infrastructure development mars 1916 (≈ 1916)
Hospital, power plant and kitchens installed.
29 juillet 1916
Completion of the Tunnel Battalion
Completion of the Tunnel Battalion 29 juillet 1916 (≈ 1916)
Extension to the second line.
septembre 1918
Partial destruction
Partial destruction septembre 1918 (≈ 1918)
Access mined before the American offensive.
11 juin 1998
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 11 juin 1998 (≈ 1998)
Protection of entrances and infrastructure.
2012
Closure to the public
Closure to the public 2012 (≈ 2012)
For security reasons.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The entrances and infrastructures of the so-called Kaiser-Tunnel (cad. Lachalade A 1, 2, placed La Grande Courte Chausse ; Boureuilles D 351, placed Haut Jardinet; centre of Verdun, road from Metz to Verdun): inscription by order of 11 June 1998
Key figures
9e régiment d'infanterie lorrain 173 - Building unit
Creusa tunnel (Battles 2 and 3).
1er bataillon du régiment 173 - Head of Extensions
Acheva the Tunnel Battalion in 1916.
Origin and history
The Kaiser-Tunnel is a 350-metre-long underground tunnel, dug between November 1915 and February 1916 by the 9th Regiment of Lorrain infantry 173 (based at Saint-Avold and Metz) in the Gaize of Argonne. The aim of this project was to discreetly link German lines through unfavourable terrain, protecting soldiers from enemy fire. From March 1916, the tunnel was equipped with vital infrastructure: an infirmary with operating unit, an electric power station (powering 23 fans and pumps), kitchens and a tank. It became the heart of a network including the Tunnel Battalion and the Ortlieb-Tunnel, allowing invisible movements over hundreds of metres.
The construction was part of the German control strategy for the Haute-Chevauché, an area of wooded rumps near Verdun. The tunnel housed reserve troops in the Meurisson ravine, with an extension to the second line completed in July 1916. In September 1918, on the eve of the American offensive, the Germans partially destroyed the accesses and removed the equipment. The entrances, marked by a lintel decorated with an iron cross and the inscription "Kaiser Tunnel 1915-1916", were reopened later.
Ranked a historic monument in 1998, the site illustrates the military engineering of the First World War in the Argonne, where 350,000 soldiers died. Closed since 2012 for security reasons, it integrates into a 40-hectare "memory path", recalling the fierce fighting of 1914-1918. The tunnel also symbolized the mine war between French and Germans in this area, particularly between October 1914 and September 1915.
The work was originally accompanied by a museum at its northern entrance, which is now extinct. Visible remains include underground infrastructure and protected entrances, located on horseback in the municipalities of Lachalade and Boureuilles (Meuse, Grand Est). The gaize, a soft local rock, facilitated the digging but required constant reinforcement to avoid collapses, as evidenced by the work carried out by the 2nd and 3rd battalions of Regiment 173.
