Bellefontaine Franco-German military cemetery

The Bellefontaine Franco-German military cemetery lies near the village of Bellefontaine, in the municipality of Tintigny, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg, close to the French border. It holds the graves of soldiers who fell during one of the earliest major engagements of the First World War, fought in August 1914 in the Belgian Ardennes.

What happened at Bellefontaine in 1914?

On 22 August 1914, a fierce clash took place near Bellefontaine between the French 4th Army and the German 5th Army. It was one of many episodes of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which both sides suffered heavy losses within the very first weeks of the war. The French won this particular engagement, but the tactical victory carried little strategic weight — on the same day, not far away at Rossignol, the French colonial corps suffered a devastating defeat, which severely weakened the overall French position in the region.

When was the cemetery built, and who is buried here?

The cemetery was established by German forces in May 1917, during the war itself, to consolidate and honor the fallen from both sides. It contains the graves of 527 French soldiers and 298 German soldiers, most of them killed in the fighting of 1914. Three additional graves date from the Second World War, showing that the site continued to serve as a burial ground in later decades of the twentieth century.

Why is it called a "Franco-German" cemetery?

The name reflects the site's distinctive character: it is one of the few war cemeteries in the region where soldiers from opposing armies rest side by side on shared ground. Cemeteries of this kind typically emerged when fighting occurred in close proximity and the party responsible for burial — in this case, the Germans in 1917 — chose to commemorate the dead of both armies together, rather than separating them into distinct national plots.

What should visitors know before coming here?

The cemetery sits in a quiet, rural corner of the province of Luxembourg, roughly two kilometers from the nearby cemetery at Lahage. It is typical of many First World War memorial sites scattered across the Belgian Ardennes — modest in scale, rarely crowded, but significant for anyone interested in military history or family genealogy. The surrounding area preserves further traces of the August 1914 fighting, including sites connected to the Battle of Rossignol, making it possible to combine a visit here with a broader historical route dedicated to the opening weeks of the war on the Western Front.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are buried at the Bellefontaine cemetery? The cemetery holds 527 French soldiers (including three graves from the Second World War) and 298 German soldiers, most of whom died in the fighting of August 1914.

Who established the cemetery? German forces created it in May 1917, while the First World War was still underway.

What historical event is connected to this site? The Franco-German clash of 22 August 1914, part of the wider Battle of the Frontiers fought across the Belgian Ardennes, including the nearby engagement at Rossignol.

Where exactly is the cemetery located? Near the village of Bellefontaine, in the municipality of Tintigny, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg, close to the French border.