The closest town to the lake is Verdun which was founded by the Gauls. It has been the actual seat of the bishop of Verdun since the 4th century around the year 843 and a dark part of their history, Verdun was the centre of Europe wide trade in selling boys into slavery as eunchs to Islamic emirates, In 1374 Verdun became an “Imperial Free City” of the Holy Roman Empire but was annexed by France in 1552, in 1670 they had a plan to fortify the entire city of which a lot of it wasn’t finished until after the Napoleonic Wars. However the fortifications did not withstand the Prussians who captured the town in 1792 & the Prussians abandoned the town after the Battle of Valmy.

Verdun was the site of a huge battle during WW1 and was probably one of the costliest battles of the entire war. It was called the “Battle of Verdun” and was a killing ground for both French & Germans soldiers. The battle cost 400,000 German lives & nearly as many French, and because of this battle you will find a lot of French and German cemeteries throughout the entire battlefield. The biggest one is the French National Cemetery and the Douaumont ossuary that is near Fort Douaumont. You will find 13,000 crosses covering the field of the ossuary which actually holds more than 130,000 remains that were never identified. Every year there are more of those remains that are put inside the vaults. Another cemetery that many go to visit are the WW1 Meuse-Argonne America Cemetery and Memorial that is at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon where over 14,000 American military died. The chapel there also has a memorial to 954 Americans that were never found or identified.

Some landmarks you might want to see if you visit Verdun is the Chatel Gate, this is all that remains of the Medieval walls that were suppose to protect the city from intruders. This gate leads to the La Roche Square of the city where there is also the La Citadelle which was built in the 17th century and to this very day it is still controlled by the military. It also has tunnels that they allow tourists to visit.

The cathedral is also worth visiting especially “The Notre-Dame de Verdun Cathedral” which was built in 1147 & was actually built on top of a much older church & is a beautiful piece of historic architecture. The “Lion Door” which is on the north side of the structure has a beautifully decorated tympanum, the building was restored in the 18th century and is still in very good shape.

A couple more historical spots well worth a visit when in Verdun would be the “Episcopal Palace” that was built in the 18th century, and this is where the World Peace Centre is located. There is also the “Princerie Museum” which used to be the residence of the various princes of Verdun, It houses a lot of historical works of art from the area.

If you take the kids you will be happy to know they have a great place for them to have some fun which is at the “Aquadrome” which is an aquatic and recreation Centre and is open all year round. So no matter what the weather there is always fun to be had at in the water at the “Aquadrome”, which includes a wading pool and instruction for younger children, a slide that is 35m long, a traditional pool, pool for toddlers, beaches, sauna, steam room and a Zen garden.

We do warn tourists that you need to be aware there are some spots on some highways that have speed cameras. On the A26, if you are going to Calais, you will find a stretch of highway that is a speed trap area.