The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the longest conflict of World War I, lasting 300 days and claiming over 300,000 lives. The area surrounding Verdun is still restricted due to unexploded shells and arsenic contamination, and the munitions clearance process could take up to 300 years.
In 1916, in the north-east of France, the battle of Verdun took place. It was the longest conflict of the First World War; the battle lasted 300 days and claimed the lives of over 300,000 French and German soldiers. To some extent, France is still recovering from the effects of World War I, which ended in 1918. Shortly after the war, the French government designated a 42,000-acre territory surrounding Verdun as a “Red Zone”. Access to the area has been restricted due to the large number of bombs and unexploded shells, as well as the ground being contaminated with arsenic. Although the French munitions clearance agency has been trying to clean up the site since 1945, it is estimated that this process could take up to 300 years.
Read more about the Battle of Verdun:
About 15% of the 40-60 million shells fired during the Battle of Verdun are thought to remain unexploded.
Nine nearby towns were finally destroyed during the Battle of Verdun, but still appear on French maps and have volunteer mayors.
The remains of 130,000 unidentified victims of the Battle of Verdun are kept at the Douaumont Ossuary, a memorial located near the battlefield.
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