Franco-Prussian war 1870 - Museum

The world has known so many wars but few could be considered so pointless and wasteful of human life as that of 1870 when the Prussians deliberately provoked France into declaring war, then invaded France, and I believe it contributed to the 'gutsful' the French must have had by the end of WWI when the disastrous Treaty of Versailles was signed to punish and humiliate Germany, ultimately leading to WW2. So, for me, the beginnings of the dreadful World Wars start here.

A little museum dedicated to this war is located in the town of Loigny-la-bataille where a large battle was fought between France and Prussia. It was the time of the Second Empire in France headed by Napoleon III. At this time the German states were not united but they certainly were after this so Bismarck got what he wanted - to draw the independent southern German states together into an alliance with the North German Confederation dominated by Prussia.

The German coalition mobilised its troops much more quickly than the French and rapidly invaded north-eastern France. The German forces were superior in numbers, had better training and leadership and made more effective use of modern technology, particularly railroads and artillery.

Incredibly, the French troops were so ill prepared that the officers didn't even have maps of France to refer to. The Germans committed atrocities against civilians which really stirred things up. How wars were to be conducted had now changed.


A series of swift Prussian and German victories in eastern France, culminating in the Seige of Metz and the Battle of Sedan, saw French Emperor Napoleon III (nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) captured and the army of the Second Empire decisively defeated. Napoleon III sought exile in England, where he died just a few years later. A Government of National Defence declared the Third French Republic in Paris on 4 September and continued the war for another five months; the German forces fought and defeated new French armies in northern France.

Following the Seige of Paris, the capital fell on 28 January 1871, and then a revolutionary uprising called the Paris Commune seized power in the city and held it for two months, until it was bloodily suppressed by the regular French army at the end of May 1871. During the fighting, the Communards killed around 500 people, including the Archbishop of Paris, and burned down many government buildings, including the magnificent Tuileries Palace and the Hotel de Ville.

The German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire, under the Prussian king Wilheim I, finally uniting Germany as a nation. The Treaty of Frankfurt of 10 May 1871 gave Germany most of Alsace and some parts of Lorraine. This remained a highly sensitive and bitter  topic for many years until Alsace-Lorraine was reclaimed after WWI.

So many thousands of conscripted soldiers as well as civilians died for a piece of land that might have just stayed French and saved everyone a lot of heartbreak over the years. 

The museum presents things very nicely and in many parts they have made an effort to use descriptions in French, German and English. 

A pipe was on display - an example of a Christmas present for German troops during the war.

There are several rather poignant displays in the museum such as honoring one of the military leaders (de Sonis) who lost a leg. His boots are on display; one is untouched, the other in a bit of a state where they cut it off his damaged leg. His wooden leg is also on display.

















Beside the museum is a church which is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the conflict. The crypt contains the remains of French soldiers. Most of the skulls and hip bones are riddled with bullet holes.

 The Franco-Prussian war applied the principles of the Geneva Convention which was signed in 1864. And so, the neutrality of the wounded, their transportation, doctors and care personnel were fully guaranteed. The 1870 war was also the first conflict in which the Red Cross distinguished itself.
For more info in English go to http://www.museedelaguerre1870.fr/en/the-war-of-1870-and-the-fighting-in-loigny/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War