Fort Vaux

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Closed for renovation

Fort Vaux is currently closed to the public. This work is necessary to undertake major renovation work on the visitor trail.

These improvements will better highlight the exceptional history of this site and offer our visitors a more comfortable and rewarding visit.

The Verdun Memorial and Fort Douaumont continue to welcome you every day.

In 1916, nearly 8,000 shells a day rained down on Fort Vaux. The garrison held fast, fighting heroically, but eventually exhaustion forced the soldiers to surrender. The fort became a symbol of the resistance of the French soldiers at Verdun. A visit to the fort will give you a sense of the indescribable intensity of the fighting during the Battle of Verdun. We suggest you allow around an hour and a quarter to walk across the rooftop and explore inside.

History

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Fort Vaux was built between 1881 and 1884. The location was chosen to cover, to the east and north-west, the Woëvre Plain and with it the communications routes from Metz. In 1888, due to the torpedo shell crisis, a special concrete shell was poured over the top of the barracks.

Key dates

Further information