14 July 1945

Défilé du 14 juillet 1945 à Paris. Vue aérienne de la place de la Bastille. ©ecpa>d

From the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Nation and taking in Place de la Bastille where the official stand was located, the crowd gathered on the parade route through Paris adorned with tricolours. After an interruption lasting six years the French national holiday was again celebrated with Europe finally at peace and the country liberated.

La Paix

La Première Guerre mondiale (1914-1918)

11 November: a day of remembrance

Des canons allemands sont traînés, le 11 novembre 1918, sur la place de l'Opéra et les boulevards, au milieu des farandoles.

Why is 11 November still today one of the major dates in the French commemorative calendar?

If 11 November has become a day of remembrance, it is also the recollection of a single day, the Armistice of 1918 that finally brought the battles of the First World War (1914-1918) to an end.

The Armistice procession, 11 November 1918. Source: SHD collection