Due to the nature of the fighting, in many cases it was not possible to
recover the dead for a proper burial. After the battle, the bones
of 130,000 men, French and German, have been recovered and placed in
the Douaumont Ossuary, 137 meters long. On the hillside below are
buried an additional 15,000 French.
This panorama shows one side of the cemetery, which extends beyond the bushes at left.
A tower 46 meters tall is shaped like a shell. For a fee, you can climb it and look over the battlefield.
Toward Ft Douaumont
Interpreting the panoramic views are drawings of the land with
important features pointed out. After the war, the area was "Red
Zone", so littered with unexploded ordnance that it was allowed to grow
up. Because of this, it is difficult to identify the locations
indicated.
