Excursion to France in the summer semester 2023

As part of the seminar "The First World War as a German-French Place of Remembrance", we, 22 students from Romance Studies and History under the direction of Jörg Requate and Julia Spohr, went on an excursion to eastern France from June 19 to 23. The excursion focused on the question of the memory of the First World War. From Verdun, over Reims to Metz different places and memorials of the First World War were visited. We spent the first three days in Verdun, the symbol of the horror of the First World War. There we visited the recently elaborately remodeled Mémorial, a museum, as well as some surrounding battlefields and bunkers at Douaumont and Vaux. The view from the ossuary to the military cemetery in front of it was impressive. A completely different picture emerged when we slipped into the skin of a soldier in World War I with the help of an augmented reality tourand experienced the citadel of Verdun. Already here it became clear that memory can happen in many different ways and can take on very different forms. On the way to Reims, we made a stop in Suippes. We quickly agreed that we found the museum's specific approach - its strong focus on civilians - extremely important. Other highlights included a visit to the Dragon's Cave near Reims on the fourth day of the excursion and a city tour of Metz on the last day of the excursion. During this city tour, we were able to concretely understand how memory can change and develop over time.

(Report written by: Marlen Wernecke)