Verdun: France and Germany mark centenary with EU unity call Published duration 29 May 2016 Related Topics World War One

media caption Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel laid a wreath at a cemetery where 11,000 German soldiers are buried

France and Germany have marked the 100th anniversary of the World War One battle of Verdun in north-eastern France with a call for European unity.

France's Francois Hollande and Germany's Angela Merkel used Verdun as a symbol of both reconciliation between their nations and of EU integration.

Mr Hollande warned against "forces of division" in Europe. Mrs Merkel said nationalism "would throw us backwards".

The two stood side by side in memory of the 300,000 soldiers killed at Verdun.

The 10-months battle that began in February 1916 was the longest and one of the bloodiest in World War One. France eventually emerged victorious.

The main ceremony was held at the Douaumont Ossuary, which contains the bones of 130,000 German and French soldiers.

The French president and the German chancellor jointly lit a flame in the building.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Mrs Merkel and Mr Hollande light the flame at the Douaumont Ossuary

Some 4,000 French and German children also took part in a re-enactment of a battle choreographed by German filmmaker Volker Schloendorff.

Addressing the children, Mrs Merkel said: "Hardly older than you was the French Lieutenant Alfred Joubert as he, 100 years ago, not far from here, lay in a trench. He confided to his diary: 'Not even hell could be this awful.'"

She went on to say that the EU proved its "ability to compromise to unite" and to condemn "pure nationalist state thinking and behaviour [that] would throw us backwards."

President Hollande said: "The forces of division, of closure and withdrawal are at work again. They cultivate fear and instil hatred."

He said France and Germany had a special responsibility to "end conflicts at our doorstep" and to "welcome the people who flee tragedy and massacre.

"Europe is capable of overcoming the greatest difficulties if it shows solidarity and responsibility", he said, citing the eurozone crisis as an example.

media caption France is commemorating the 100th anniversary of The Battle of Verdun, World War One's longest battle

The ceremonies started early on Sunday, with the two leaders visiting the military cemetery at Consenvoye, north of Verdun, where 11,000 German soldiers are buried.

At Verdun city hall, Mr Hollande focused on Franco-German relations, saying that Mrs Merkel's presence showed that Verdun was not a symbol of suffering but one of hope.

In her speech there, Mrs Merkel said: "Only those who know the past can draw lessons and build a good future."

Remembering the famous 1984 image of former leaders Francois Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl holding hands at Verdun, she said: "We have reconciled and reached agreement; we have become friends."

image copyright Getty Images image caption Francois Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl held hands in a famous gesture of reconciliation in 1984

image copyright Reuters

The battle of Verdun, 21 February - 15 December 1916