Kaiser-Tunnel book à Boureuilles dans la Meuse

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Kaiser-Tunnel is a war tunnel about 350 metres long, dug in 1916 by the 9th Regiment of Lorrain infantry 173 (based in Saint-Avold and Metz). The project, initiated between November 1915 and February-March 1916, was designed to drill an underground passage through the gaize, a local rock. From March 1916, the tunnel was equipped with essential infrastructures: kitchens, tank, infirmary and generator room, forming a network connected to other tunnels such as the Battalion Tunnel and the Ortlieb Tunnel.

Strategically located in the Argonne, west of Verdun, the Kaiser-Tunnel allowed German troops (Deutsches Heer) to move away from enemy fire on otherwise unfavourable terrain. Its role was central to a system of trenches and galleries designed to ensure the logistics and discretion of movements. The site, now closed for security reasons (since 2012), once housed a museum at its northern entrance.

Ranked a historic monument by order of 11 June 1998, the Kaiser Tunnel illustrates the military engineering of the First World War. Its protected entrances and infrastructure reflect its strategic importance, although access is now limited. The site extends between the communes of Boureuilles and Lachalade, in Meuse (region Grand Est, former Lorraine).

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