Das Zentrum für internationale Studierende – ZiS – des International Office informiert: UNIVERSITÄT DES SAARLANDES VERDUN – STADTINFORMATION Verdun - medieval German: Wirten, official name before 1970 Verdun-sur- Meuse) is a small city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture (arrondissement) of the department. It is the big- gest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly small- er city of Bar-le-Duc. Verdun (Latin: Verodunum, meaning "strong fort") was founded by the Gauls (as its Celtic name shows; "Dunum" is the Latinized version of a Celtic word meaning oppidum). It has been the seat of the bishop of Verdun since the 4th century AD, with interruptions. In the Treaty of Verdun in AD 843, the empire of Charlemagne was divided into three parts. The city has been famous for Dragées or sugared almonds from 1200 on- wards; they were distributed at the baptism of French princes. Verdun was part of the middle kingdom of Lotharingia, and in 1374 it became an Imperial Free City of the Holy Roman Empire. The Bishopric of Verdun formed together with Tull (Toul) and Metz the Three Bishoprics, which were annexed by France in 1552 (recognized in 1648 by the Peace of Westphalia). From 1624 to 1636, a large bastioned citadel was constructed on the site of the Abbey of Saint Vanne. In 1670, Vauban visited Verdun and drew up an ambitious scheme to fortify the whole city. Although much of his plan was built in the following decades, some of the elements were not completed until after the Napoleonic Wars. Despite the extensive fortifications, Verdun was cap- tured by the Prussians in 1792, but abandoned by them after the Battle of Valmy. During the Napoleonic War, the citadel was used to hold British pris- oners-of-war. In the Franco-Prussian War, Verdun was the last French fortress to surrender in 1870. Shortly afterwards, a new system of fortification was be- gun. This consisted of a mutually supporting ring of 22 polygonal forts up to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the city, and an inner ring of 6 forts. -1- Das Zentrum für internationale Studierende – ZiS – des International Office informiert: UNIVERSITÄT DES SAARLANDES VERDUN IN WORLD WAR I The Battle of Verdun (Bataille de Verdun) was fought from 21 February – 18 De- cember 1916 during the First World War on the Western Front between the Ger- man and French armies, on hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France. The German Fifth Army attacked the defences of the Région Fortifiée de Verdun (RFV) and those of the Second Army garrisons on the right bank of the Meuse, intending to rapidly capture the Côtes de Meuse (Meuse Heights), from which Verdun could be overlooked and bombarded with observed artillery-fire. The German strategy intended to provoke the French into counter-attacks and counter-offensives to drive the Germans off the heights. French attacks would be relatively easy to repel with massed artillery-fire and super-heavy guns. A German attempt to capture Fort Souville in early July was repulsed by artillery and small-arms fire. To supply reinforcements for the Somme front, the German offensive was reduced further, along with attempts to deceive the French into ex- pecting more attacks, to keep French reinforcements away from the Somme front. In August and December, French counter-offensives recaptured much of the ground lost on the east bank and recovered Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. An estimate in 2000 found a total of 714,231 casualties, 377,231 French and 337,000 German, an average of 70,000 casualties for each month of the battle; other re- cent estimates increase the number of casualties to 976,000 with 1,250,000 suf- fered at Verdun from 1914–1918. The Battle of Verdun lasted for 303 days and became the longest and one of the most costly battles in human history. VERDUN TODAY Today, Verdun produces its income mainly from the service sector: Tourism, administration and diocese. The main sights are the military cemetery, the museums of the area and the cathedral with the World Peace Centre in the Episcopate Palace. Every summer, the spectacle Des Flammes à la Lumière (from flames to light) portrays the happenings of the Battle of Verdun in World War I. Source: Wikipedia -2- .