A small village in Meuse, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon is located 38 kilometres north-west of Verdun. The municipality is known for having in its eastern section the biggest American First World War cemetery, the World War I Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial. It was designed by two American architects, opened in 1937 and is accessible all year.
14,246 American soldiers who lost their lives in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive are buried there, in an area of 52 hectares. This spectacular field of gravestones, in the middle of a superb tree-lined park, is dominated by a Memorial and a chapel containing the flags of the Allied countries, and stained glass windows depicting the insignia of the American divisions. In one of the commemorative loggias, a sign lists the names of all the soldiers who were unidentified or went missing. Also including a peaceful lake where water lilies grow, this memorial site invites contemplation.
Meanwhile, the visitor centre helps people to understand the stages of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the Americans' intervention and soldiers' everyday life, using historical reconstructions and period footage.
