French-German Memorial of the First World War, First World War mausoleum in Neufchâteau, Belgium
The Mausolée franco-allemand de la Première Guerre mondiale is a slate-stone memorial on the heights of Neufchâteau, in Belgium, dedicated to soldiers from both sides who died in the First World War. It stands on the grounds of a former military cemetery established in 1917, now marked by newly planted trees and two steel arches that frame the entrance.
The military cemetery where the mausoleum stands was created by German forces in 1917, after the fierce fighting around Longlier and Neufchâteau on August 22, 1914, during the Battle of the Frontiers. Soldiers from both sides were first buried in common graves before the mausoleum was built as a lasting memorial on the site.
The mausoleum on the heights of Neufchâteau is one of the few monuments in Belgium that honors fallen soldiers from both sides together. Every year, ceremonies bring French and German visitors together here to remember the lives lost in the Battle of the Frontiers.
The site sits on the heights of Neufchâteau and can be reached by car or on foot. Information panels installed during the recent restoration explain the history of the site, and benches along the path make it easy to spend some time there.
The mausoleum was designed by a German architect, yet it was built to stand at the center of a cemetery that no longer exists today. The trees planted around it during the restoration, including ginkgo biloba and tulip trees, were chosen on purpose to mark where the graves once were.
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