Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, a small village in the Meuse department, is located 38 kilometers northwest of the city of Verdun. The war cemetery there is located on the Rue de l'Europe and is the final resting place of 1,407 German and eight French war dead from the First World War.
Cemetery description
Only a few German war cemeteries from the First World War in France were completed in the interwar period. The Romagne-sous-Montfaucon war cemetery is one of them. An agreement reached with the French military authorities in 1926 allowed the Volksbund to carry out initial work to improve the cemetery. in 1932, a large number of trees were planted and the temporary wooden crosses were replaced by artistically crafted slate crosses. The Volksbund erected a memorial room made of natural stone, with one wall adorned with a mosaic pieta. However, the Volksbund's work in France came to an end in the 1930s due to a shortage of foreign currency. Work was only resumed after the Second World War.
in 1973, the now outdated trees were renewed and damaged grave markers were replaced. The graves of the two Jewish war dead were given grave steles. A comprehensive redesign of the war cemetery began in 2014 with the aim of creating an exceptionally beautiful natural setting to help overcome the trauma of the First World War. The original character of the war cemetery, which was rededicated in 2016, has been partially preserved. The 1,407 German war dead rest in individual or group graves.
History
The Romagne-sous-Montfaucon military cemetery was established by the German military in September 1914. The fighting around the Meuse crossings between Henay and Sivry at the end of August 1914 made it necessary to set up several military hospitals in Romagne. The deceased were laid to rest next to the municipal cemetery. By 1915, more dead had been added, and most of those buried in the cemetery lost their lives during the Battle of Verdun, which began in March 1916. French counter-offensives in the fall of 1916 and August 1917 as well as the retreat battles in September and October 1918 also claimed countless lives. The Franco-German War Graves Agreement concluded on July 19, 1966 allowed the German War Graves Commission to undertake the final design of the German military cemeteries of the First World War in France - with financial support from the German government.
Special feature
The largest American war cemetery in Europe is located at the eastern end of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon. 14,246 war dead from 1917 and 1918 are buried at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery. The cemetery, designed by two American architects, was inaugurated in 1937 and features a memorial and a memorial chapel. A visitor center, equipped with historical pictures and reconstructions, gives visitors access to the events of the war.
