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Key figures

Origin and history

The Verdun Memorial was created in 1967 on the initiative of the Verdun National Remembrance Committee, chaired by Maurice Genevoix, a veteran and academic. Settled on the site of the former Fleury-devant-Douaumont station, a village destroyed during World War I, it aims to honour the soldiers who had fallen in the Battle of 1916. The project, recognized as a public utility in 1962, was financed by a national subscription and designed by architect Charles Legrand, replaced after his death by Marcel Bidault. Inaugurated in September 1967, the museum became a place of memory for veterans.

Between 2013 and 2016, the Memorial underwent a major renovation to modernize its scenography and adopt a Franco-German approach to the battle. The works, costing EUR 12.5 million, add 1,900 m2 of space, including a new floor, side wings and a lobby. The scientific committee, led by historian Antoine Prost and François Cochet, enriches the collections with German objects and educational documents. The museum reopens in February 2016, marking the centenary of the battle, in the presence of François Hollande and Angela Merkel, symbolizing reconciliation.

Today the museum exhibits more than 2,000 objects, including uniforms, weapons, vehicles and archives, spread over three levels. The ground floor plunges visitors into the lives of soldiers, while the upper floors explore command, logistics and commemorations. A terrace offers a view of the battlefield, complemented by educational spaces and an auditorium. The collections, originally made up of donations from veterans, are regularly enriched by loans from German institutions.

Managed by the Verdun National Remembrance Committee, the Memorial has been run since 2021 by Nicolas Barret. Its scientific committee organizes symposia and supports historical research. The attendance, restarted after the renovation, targets 200,000 annual visitors. The site embodies both the duty of memory and the transmission to the younger generations of a conflict that has marked Europe.

The initial project dates back to 1939, led by the André Maginot Federation, but was interrupted by the Second World War. Launched in the 1950s, it resulted in the determination of veterans to explain the battle to visitors. Fernand Ducom, the first curator, stressed in 1966 the absence of a place dedicated to the reconstruction of the fighting, justifying the creation of the Memorial.

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