The Dixmude

The Dixmude, a former German airship, was offered to the Allies in 1918 as war damage. Based at the Cuers-Pierrefeu Centre, it made numerous flights between 1920 and 1923. During the night of 20-21 December 1923, it was diverted by a storm while on a mission to study air conditions and exploded, hit by lightning, off Sicily. The 50 people on board, crew and passengers, perished in this accident.
As soon as the official notice of the airship's disappearance was given, a committee, on the initiative of the municipality, was formed in Pierrefeu with a view to appealing to public generosity. A subscription was opened. Public and private donations completed the financing, confirming the national character of this monument.
By decree of the President of the Republic dated 24 November 1924, the municipal council of Pierrefeu was authorised to offer a site on a public square to erect the monument. A competition, organised the following year, was won by Michel Roux-Spitz, architect in Paris, 1st Grand Prix de Rome, and Armand Martial, statuary in Paris, also Grand Prix de Rome. The construction was carried out by the Maison Barbedienne (Paris), which also made a financial contribution.

The monument, 14 metres high, is built of imperial granite from Corsica. It has the shape of two monumental wings joined together, and has an inscription at the front recalling the names of the crew and passengers who died on board in 1923. For more information on the fabulous history of this Zeppelin-type airship, contact the association: "Les Amis du Dixmude".