A Land Too Damaged to Reclaim
After World War I ended in 1918, France faced a vast scar across its northeastern landscape. Entire regions had been devastated by artillery fire, chemical weapons, and trench warfare.
In the aftermath, the French government created the zone rouge—or red zone—a non-contiguous area spanning more than 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles). Officials declared these areas “completely devastated,” unfit for agriculture, habitation, or forestry. Human life, they concluded, was impossible there.
Toxic Soil, Unseen Threats
The devastation was more than surface-level. Below ground, the land was saturated with lead, mercury, chlorine, and arsenic from munitions and chemical warfare. Entire forests had been wiped out, and the soil remained hostile to plant life.
Experiments conducted in 2005–06 revealed concentrations of up to 176 grams of arsenic per kilogram in some topsoils. In parts of the zone near Ypres and the Woëvre plain, over 99% of all plant life still dies upon sprouting. The most contaminated areas saw chemical shells burned in open pits during the 1920s, compounding the toxicity.
Unexploded and Buried Dangers
Scattered throughout the zone rouge are millions of unexploded shells—many containing deadly gas. French authorities continue to collect these in an ongoing operation known as the “iron harvest.”
Every year, thousands of shells are removed from farmland and construction sites, most recovered from just the top 15 centimeters of soil. The French Civil Security estimates it could take another 300 to 700 years to fully clean the land at the current pace. Some areas remain permanently fenced off, untouched for more than a century.
Ghost Towns and Restricted Access
Under French law, activities like housing, farming, and logging are still forbidden in parts of the zone rouge. Several villages destroyed during the war were never rebuilt. Instead, forests and wilderness gradually reclaimed the landscape.
The restricted zone has shrunk over the decades, but remnants remain. In some places, trenches and shell craters are still visible among the overgrowth. Where signs warn of unexploded ordnance, public access is blocked entirely. Though nearly invisible on maps, the zone rouge still exists—a lasting physical barrier where war once erased the land itself.
After World War I, France declared over 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of land uninhabitable.
This zone, known as the zone rouge, was so polluted by chemicals, unexploded shells, and human remains that it was deemed too dangerous for farming, forestry, or… pic.twitter.com/Av178yAPgy
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 6, 2025