Cimetière militaire de Gravelotte, War cemetery in Gravelotte, France

The Cimetière militaire de Gravelotte lies on the D 603 at the rue de Metz, northeast of the village on the road to Metz. Rows of pale grey, rough-hewn upright markers, some leaning, stand in short grass with small yellow and white flowers; a fallen stone cross lies behind them. Dark metal double gates open between two square pale stone pillars with yellow-brown caps, set in low walls bearing plaques dated 1870 and 1871.

The cemetery holds about 3,000 German and French soldiers from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871, most buried in mass graves. The Battle of Gravelotte on 18 August 1870, west of Metz, left some 30,000 dead and wounded on both sides. In August 2020, six remains of presumed Prussian soldiers found at Aubigny Castle near Metz were interred here in a ceremony.

The cemetery holds about 3,000 German and French soldiers, most in mass graves, with some individual headstones preserved or moved here. In August 2020 six skeletons, probably Prussian soldiers found at Aubigny Castle near Metz, were reburied in a ceremony attended by the d'Ornellas family, the Volksbund, battlefield archaeologists of DRAC, ONAC veterans and local residents.

The cemetery is open to visitors throughout the year with free access to the grounds and memorial hall. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes as the grounds can become muddy in wet weather.

The cemetery holds about 3,000 German and French soldiers, most buried in mass graves; only some individual headstones survive or were moved here. In August 2020 six skeletons, probably Prussian soldiers found at Aubigny Castle near Metz, were interred in a ceremony attended by the d'Ornellas family, the Volksbund, battlefield archaeologists of DRAC and veterans of ONAC.