VERDUN , FRANCE

Verdun is located in Lorraine and is a strategic transportation centre. It was the site of the first international Peace Messenger Cities Assembly in 1988. The town was a prosperous commercial centre in Roman times and also during the Carolingian period in the 800s. It has been an episcopal see since the 4^th century, and was one of the three bishoprics seized from the Holy Roman Empire in 1552 by Henry II of France. The Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years War, seeded Verdun to France. After 1871, the town became the principal French fortress facing Germany and was surrounded by a ring of defences. The longest battle of World War I was fought at Verdun in 1916 and almost totally destroyed the city before American and French forces won in 1918. The city was rebuilt after he war. The town and battlefield of Verdun, with their huge military cemeteries, and numerous impressive monuments, form a national sanctuary. Other monuments include a cathedral built in the 11^th – 12^th centuries, and the town hall built in the 17^th century.