Hartmannswillerkopf - World War 1 Site

Connie and Al and the kids came out to visit just before mom and dad went back to Canada.

We went up to see this site where the French and Germans fought on one ridge for for 2-3 years. It was very interesting to see the actual trenches on both sides and walk through these tunnels and trenches. There is barbed wire still in place as it was back then. There is quite a difference between the French trenches and the German ones. The French side was basically a dugout trench where as the German side was carefully built with stone and cement, most of which is still in great shape. Some of the trenches led down to deep tunnels underground and we were able to search through many of these. It's hard to imagine the fighting that took place here when you look around now and see such beauty.




















This monument is placed into the rocks as a memorial. It must have been bronze because it has now turned green over the years. It's hard to tell from the picture how massive it is.




French trenches

















German trenches

































Andrea, Mark and Sara - our nieces and nephew.