A Lively History!

There are many sites of memory in Lorraine, a region far too often subject to the ravages of war.


The First World War left its fair share of unknown heroes in our soil, leaving us with a network of sites that invite the visitor to reflect on an unimaginable past.

Verdun and its internationally respected “red zone” protect such monuments as the underground citadel, the Douaumont ossuary, the bayonet trenches, and the Vaux and Douaumont Forts. The World Centre for Peace is an invitation to reflect on the great questions.

Between Bar-le-Duc and Verdun, the Sacred Way is often the first among many equalling moving visits.

The forts of the Great War and the Maginot Line are poignant reminders, standing alongside more ancient constructions.

At Metz, discover the remains of Roman walls dating from the 3rd century; see the castles and feudal fortifications at Châtel-sur-Moselle; the well-preserved Vauban citadels of Toul, Bitche, Montmédy, Thionville, Verdun, Phalsbourg and the ruins at Longwy; and the famous Gate of France at Marsal. So many ‘sites’ to see!

The list cannot be complete without mentioning the fortifications dating from the Occupation, that the Germans called “Festen”, at Thionville and Metz...

Let’s not forget the fortified village of Villey-le-Sec designed by Séré de Rivières, to whom we also owe the forts at Troyon, Vaux, Douaumont, Uxegney and Bourlémont. And then there’s the Châtel-sur-Moselle fortress whose initial keep was built in the 11th and 12th centuries, undergoing much enlargement in the 15th century.