 |
 |
 |
 |
Imperial War Museum
in London – England
The Imperial War Museum
is unique in its coverage of conflicts,
especially those involving Britain and the
Commonwealth, from the First World War to
the present day. It seeks to provide for,
and to encourage, the study and understanding
of the history of modern war and ‘war-time
experience’ and for the Great War,
examines the reasons for the conflict, the
life of the soldiers in the trenches, the
lives of the civil population, and the war
in the air and on the sea.
Don’t miss ‘The
Trench’: special sound effects,
lighting and smells plunge the visitor
into the everyday lives of the soldiers
during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Lambeth Road
London SE1 6HZ
www.iwm.org.uk
mail@iwm.org.uk
Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 - Belgium
At the Memorial Museum
Passchendaele 1917, the visitor gets
the opportunity to walk through a German
trench and descend into a unique 20
feet deep British dugout with communication
and dressing posts, headquarters and
accommodation. The museum is an ideal
starting point for a visit to the area,
an absolute must for tourists and specialists.
www.zonnebeke.be
info@passchendaele.be
“In Flanders Fields Museum”
at Ypres – Belgium
The collection
reflects the moving picture of the
destruction of the town, the misery
and distress felt by soldiers and
civilians during the war. This modern,
interactive museum is a stirring appeal
against war.
Halle aux Draps
Grote Markt 34 – B-8900 IEPER
Tel. +32 (0)57 22 85 84
Fax +32 (0)57 22 85 89
flandersfields@ieper.be
www.inflandersfields.be
There are
many memorials, cemeteries and remains
of the battlefield in the area around
Ypres.
Monument de Notre-Dame
de Lorette – France (Pas-de-Calais)
The hill at Artois was particularly coveted
during the Great War since there was an
excellent view from here of the entrenched
armies. The French necropolis includes
over 20,000 tombs of soldiers who perished
between October 1914 and September 1915,
during this long period of arduous armed
conflict. The crypt near the basilica
bears witness to the sacrifice made by
unknown soldiers in other conflicts throughout
the world.
62153 ABLAIN-SAINT-NAZAIRE
Tel. +33 (0)3 21 45 27 55
Canadian National Monument and Memorial
park – Vimy – France (Pas-de-Calais)
The majestic Canadian national memorial
is located at the heart of a park where
trenches and tunnels have been restored.
The park commemorates the successful offensive
of 9 April 1917 when the Canadians took
Vimy Ridge.
Also well worth your while are a visit to
the interpretation centre and a guided tour
of the underground tunnels.
The scars of the conflict can still be seen
on the battlefield (trenches, shell craters…).
62580 VIMY
Tel. +33 (0)3 21 50 68 68
Fax. +33 (0)3 21 58 58 34
La Caverne du Dragon (The Dragon’s
Cave) – France (Aisne)
This old stone quarry was transformed
by the Germans in 1915 into barracks (gun
emplacements, chapel, cemetery, dormitories,
etc). At the end of 1917, both French
and Germans lived here side by side. The
exhibits in the museum provide a good
picture of the everyday life of the soldier
during the Great War. Also well worth
a visit is the Chemin des Dames where
the remains of many battles can still
be seen.
02160 Oulches-la-Vallée-Foulon
Tel. +33 (0)3 23 25 14 18
caverne@cg02.fr
Musée de la
coopération franco-américaine
(Museum of Franco-American Cooperation)
– Blérancourt – France
(Aisne)
The first centre for French war-wounded
was set up in 1917 in this 17th century
chateau by Americans who had come to the
aid of the civil population. They also received
vital commodities which meant they were
able to avoid being evacuated.
The historical and artistic artefacts serve
to illustrate the humanitarian aid given
by the Americans during two worldwide conflicts
and are evidence of Franco-American ties.
02300 BLERANCOURT
Tel. +33 (0)3 23 39 60 16
Fax +33 (0)3 23 39 62 85
musee.blerancourt@culture.gouv.fr
Clairière de
l’Armistice (Armistice Railway Carriage)
– Compiègne – France
(Oise)
The Armistice railway carriage found in
the Rethondes clearing, and symbol of the
end of the nightmare, is a replica of the
real one that was used during the signing
of the Armistice on 11 November 1918. The
museum, which is dedicated to the two world
wars, also has a number of interesting stereoscopes.
60200 COMPIEGNE
Tel. +33 (0)3 44 85 14 18
Mémorial des
Batailles de la Marne and ossuary –
Dormans – France (Marne)
The 1914 -1918 war left behind it a particularly
cruel memorial - 80% of the town was completely
destroyed during the fierce fighting that
went on here during the second Battle of
the Marne. The military cemetery in Dormans
is the final resting place of 3,885 French
and German combatants.
51700 DORMANS
Tel. +33 (0)3 26 58 22 31
Les sites de la Bataille
de Verdun (Verdun Battlefield and Sites)
– France (Meuse)
Mémorial de Verdun: this memorial
museum is a witness to what was anonymous
heroism. The museum strives for historical
knowledge, for reconciliation, and for the
development of a civil European conscience.
5 5 100 FLEURY DEVANT DOUAUMONT
Tel. +33 (0)3 29 84 35 34
Fax +33 (0)3 29 84 45 54
Memorial.14-18@wanadoo.fr
www.memorial-14-18.com
The Champs
de bataille de la crête des Éparges
is a genuine open air museum showing remains
of fortifications, areas destroyed by
artillery, craters, etc…
The Forts
at Vaux and Douaumont both fell
at the hands of the Germans: the fort
at Douaumont, the largest (3 km of tunnels)
and the best armed was taken first; and
the French and Germans clashed with one
another for 6 days and 7 nights swapping
gas attacks, bombs and flame throwers
before the fort at Vaux could be taken.
Today there is an ossuary
here at the heart of this land which became
a mausoleum. It is the final resting place
of some 130,000 unknown French and German
soldiers.
55100 DOUAUMONT
Tel. +33 (0)3 29 84 54 81
Fax +33 (0)3 29 86 56 54
infos@verdun-douaumont.com
www.verdun-douaumont.com
A small train through
the underground
citadel takes you to see a number
of recreated scenes from the life of the
regular soldier: the infirmary, the headquarters,
and tomb of the unknown soldier, etc…
Avenue du 5ème RAP
55100 VERDUN
Tel. +33 (0)3 29 86 14 18
Fax +33 (0)3 29 84 22 42
verduntourisme@wanadoo.fr
www.verdun-tourisme.com
Le
Centre Mondial de la Paix (World Peace
Centre) is home to exhibitions,
exchanges, meetings and it is a place
of reflection. The Centre Mondial de la
Paix, des Libertés et des Droits
de l’Homme is located in the Episcopal
Palace.
Place Monseigneur
Ginisty
55100 VERDUN
Tel. +33 (0)3 29 86 55 00
Fax +33 (0)3 29 86 15 14
cmpaix@wanadoo.fr
Les champs de bataille
des Vosges (Vosges Battlefields) –
France (Haut-Rhin)
Le
Mémorial du Linge: in the
blaze of summer 1915, le Linge became
the ‘Tomb des Chasseurs’ -
an infantry and tank corps. There are
numerous German and French trenches in
the battlefield in the Munster and Kaysersberg
valleys. It became a listed historical
monument in 1921.
68370 ORBEY
Tel. +33 (0)3 89 77 29 97
Le
Monument National et le champ de bataille
du Vieil-Armand: this is a listed
historical and national monument; the
slopes and the very heart of this major
First World War site are teeming with
trenches, underground tunnels, and shelters
that remind one of the suffering and courage
of the numerous combatants who passed
through here in 1915.
Tourist Information
Office for Cernay and Vieil-Armand
1, rue latouche
68700 CERNAY
info@cernay.net
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
|