Department of History

Paul Jankowski Attends Battle of Verdun 100th Anniversary Commemorative Event Along with Heads of State

June 1, 2016

Paul JankowskiOn Sunday May 29, at Verdun in eastern France, President Francois Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel officially opened a new museum called the Memorial de Verdun. This event marked the official observance of the 100th anniversary of the battle of Verdun, during which 300,000 French and German soldiers died in 1916. Amid their own entourage, invited guests and members of the media, Hollande and Merkel spent most of the day visiting the extended site of the battle, each making speeches before the great ossuary that holds the remains of some who died there.

Professor Jankowski was invited to attend the opening of the Memorial, where he briefly met President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel in the company of a French and a German historian, both of whom have also written extensively about the First World War and about Verdun. Visit the BBC News website for more news of this event.