A century earlier, the oven made it possible to produce bread for the Poilus.
It is silent today, barely three meters from the shelves.
A little further on was once chosen the coffin of the unknown soldier which now rests at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe.
In the cool corridors of the underground citadel of Verdun, the weight of history is still visible.
Florian Montes, 25, carries out an activity in the decor, however unrelated to the war: for two months, this agricultural engineer has been growing oyster mushrooms, a tasty species of mushroom, popular with lovers of salads and fragrant pan-fried.
The young Lorrain and his partner, Jean-Pierre Gonda, bet on an unexpected economic activity.
The hydrometric context is ideal.
“In winter, the temperature never drops below 8°C.
In summer, it does not exceed 15°C”, specifies Florian Montes.
In the gray corridors of the old tourist route of the underground citadel of Verdun, the duo has concretized an old idea to cultivate this mushroom quickly called the Verdun oyster mushroom.
Weekly production has already reached 60 kg, but is aiming for the announced target of 200 kg.
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The clientele is local, and orders from restaurants, short circuits and traders have already become accustomed to placing orders.
In salads, the Verdun oyster mushroom appears on restaurant menus.
“Its qualitative flesh allows it to be eaten raw or cooked, without the need to wash them first.
She is never toxic.
Usually, it grows at the foot of dead trees, but with bales filled with straw fibers and the materials necessary for their growth, the mushrooms can grow all year round,” explains Florian Montes.
Passionate about geopolitics and history, the Verdunois is delighted that the site “adds meaning to the entrepreneurial project”.