Given the pounding it received in World War I and the bomb damage of World War II, Verdun is not as grim as you might expect. The liveliest part lies between the river and the steep little hill dominated by the cathedral, along rues St-Paul and Mazel. The Rodin memorial stands beside a handsome eighteenth-century gateway at the northern end of rue St-Paul, where it joins avenue Garibaldi. Nearby, and as striking as the Rodin memorial, is a simple engraving listing all the years between 450 and 1916 that Verdun has been involved in bloody conflict. Another fine gate, the fourteenth-century Porte Chaussée, guards the river-crossing in the middle of town. Beyond it, further along rue Mazel, a flight of steps climbs up to the Monument de la Victoire, where a helmeted warrior leans on his sword in commemoration of the 1916 battle, while in the crypt below a roll is kept of all the soldiers, French and American, who took part. Beyond the monument, on rue de la Belle Vierge, lies the Musée de la Princerie (April–Oct daily except Tues 9.30am–noon & 2–6pm; €1.52), a small museum housed in a sixteenth-century town house exhibiting ceramics, furniture and paintings from Verdun's ancient and religious history. The rue de la Belle Vierge leads round to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, whose outward characteristics are Gothic. Ironically, its earlier Romanesque origins were only uncovered by shell damage in 1916. The superbly sober crypt was subsequently dug out, revealing some of the original carved capitals; the new replacements show scenes from the World War I fighting. The rather beautiful bishop's palace behind it has been converted into a Centre Mondial de la Paix et des Droits de l'Homme (Feb–May & Sept 16 to Dec 20 daily except Mon 9.30am–noon & 2–6pm; June to Sept 15 daily 9.30–7pm; €5.34), hosting exhibitions and conferences about peacekeeping and human rights.Rue du Rû, the continuation of rue Mazel, takes you to the underground galleries of the Citadelle (daily 9am–12.30pm & 1.30–6pm; €5.40), used as shelter and hospital for thousands of soldiers during the battle. The Unknown Soldier, whose remains now lie under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was chosen from among the dead who lie here.
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