Fort Douaumont

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Built in 1885, a series of updates, including gun turrets and observations posts made Fort Douaumont the most advanced in the region by 1909. However, in 1915, the French General Staff, thinking it couldn’t withstand modern artillery ordered it abandoned and partially disarmed. On 25 February 1916, a small German raiding party of under 100 men took the fort without a fight. The French, shocked at its loss, made several attempts to retake the fort, only succeeding on October 24th. Today, the landscape is still pockmarked with craters from the countless artillery shells fired at the fort. Inside the cold, damp halls, visitors learn about the fort, the battle, and the war through historical films and photographs, archival documents, and a multimedia guide.