Lorraine, a land of history and remembrance

In 800 A.D, Emperor Charlemagne reigned over all Western Europe. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun divided the empire among Charlemagne’s grandsons: Lothaire obtained the provinces between the Rhine and the Meuse.
In 855, Lothaire II received one-third of the territories, which were henceforth named Lotharingia, the Kingdom of Lothaire. In 959, this kingdom was divided into two parts, forming Lower Lorraine, comprised of areas around Metz, Toul, the Vosges and the regions that constituted ancient Belgium. Despite Lorraine’s long quest for unity two separate entities remained. These were the three bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun and the duchy of Lorraine. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Dukes of Lorraine were able to maintain the independence of their duchy, while Metz was absorbed into the kingdom of France in the 16th century.

With the Thirty Years War in the 17th century, the French entered Lorraine and the duchy was to be annexed to France on the death of Stanislas in 1766. In 1871, under the Treaty of Frankfurt, Germany annexed part of the départements of Moselle and Meurthe, and created the imperial territory of "Elsass-Lothringen" (Alsace-Lorraine).

After the First World War – the "War to end all Wars" – the Unknown Soldier was chosen at Verdun. History repeated itself with the annexation of 1940, until the Allies liberated Lorraine between August and November 1944. Nowadays, Lorraine – the birthplace of Robert Schuman – is resolutely European in outlook.

The many battles that took place in this frontier region are also part of the area’s heritage, with cemeteries for the troops of each belligerent nation. The cemeteries in Lorraine (Douaumont, Romagne sous Montfaucon, Thiaucourt, Saint-Avold, Andilly) are the resting place of most of the soldiers who died, but there are also many crosses and signs marking the locations of ambushes or summary executions. One unforgettable sight at these places is the famous red poppy written about by Rimbaud in his poem, “Dormeur du Val” [Sleeper in the Valley].

The geographical and strategic position of the area led to fortifications being constructed by historical figures such as Vauban (Longwy, Montmédy, Thionville, Toul, Verdun and Bitche), Séré de Rivières (Villey-le-Sec, Troyon, Vaux, Douaumont, Fort d’Uxegney [Uxegney Fort], Fort de Bourlémont [Bourlémont Fort]) and Maginot – who built the fort at Fermont, the complex at Hackenberg and the fort of Simserhof.

Signs of defence are sometimes more discreet but are there to be seen : fortified farms and churches, isolated fortifications, brush- and bramble-covered trenches, the sites of villages razed to the ground during conflicts.

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