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La Chapelle du Souvenir Français

Chapel. Source : lycees.ac-rouen.fr - Le circuit du souvenir

Managed today by the Le Souvenir Français association, this chapel is a shrine of remembrance of France’s participation in the Battle of the Somme.

 

Taking back the village of Rancourt was important, not just for the pursuit of the offensive’s general direction toward the east, but also in that it cut off the important German lines of communication along the Bapaume-Péronne road. This was the mission entrusted to the 32nd French Army Corps on 25 September 1916. Today, Rancourt has the sad distinction of having 3 cemeteries on its territory: French, British and German. It is also an important site –one of the only ones – preserving the memory of France’s participation in the Battle of the Somme.

 

 

Le Souvenir Français Chapel and the French national necropolis

This chapel in ashlar stone was not the result of an official decision, but rather of a private initiative: the du Bos family, natives of the region, wanted to erect a monument to the memory of their son and his comrades in arms killed on 25 September 1916. In 1937, Le Souvenir Français took over management of the building and the memorial. Rancourt Cemetery is the largest French necropolis in the Somme region (8,566 soldiers – 28,000 m²). It attests to the violence of the battles during the last 3 months of the offensive (September – November 1916).


 


Le Souvenir Français Chapel

2, Route Nationale 80360 RANCOURT

Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 85 04 47


 

The Somme Tourism Committee

21 rue Ernest-Cauvin 80000 Amiens

Tel.: +33 (0) 322 71 22 71

Fax: +33 (0) 322 71 22 69

e-mail: accueil@somme-tourisme.com


 

The Somme Tourism Committee will be happy to provide you with any information concerning the Somme Battlefields and the Circuit du Souvenir: commemorations, access, transportation, guided tours for groups and individuals, helicopter tours, accommodation, etc. The Tourism Committee also publishes a range of brochures on Memorial Tourism.


 

Le Souvenir Français Committee of the Canton of Dun sur Meuse


 

The Somme 1914-1918


 

The Somme Tourism Committee

 

 

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Practical information

Address

2 Route Nationale 80360
Rancourt
Tél. : 03 22 85 04 47Comité du tourisme de la somme21 rue Ernest-Cauvin80000 AmiensTél. : +33 (0) 322 71 22 71FAX : +33 (0) 322 71 22 69e-mail : accueil@somme-tourisme.com

Prices

Visit free of charge

Weekly opening hours

Accessible year-round

"Museum ""Somme 1916"""

Ausstellungssaal in den ehemaligen und restaurierten unterirdischen Gängen. Quelle: Museum Somme 1916

The Somme 1916 Museum in Albert shows the life of the soldiers in the trenches during the Franco-English offensive of 1 July 1916.

The Somme 1916 Museum is located in an old gallery dug in the chalky ground by the Albertines in the 9th century.

These hiding places, or "muches", were designed to escape Norman, and later Spanish, invaders. A few centuries later, Lahyre, one of Joan of Arc’s fellow soldiers, was imprisoned at Albert, called Encre at the time.

During World War I, the town of Albert housed a British garrison. It was the starting point of the offensive against the German lines. One of the most fearsome battles of the war took place in the Somme in 1916, with 58,000 men out of action in one day, on 1 July 1916. The medieval galleries were reoccupied. In 1918, during the last attack to take back the town from the Germans, the British army systematically bombarded the sector, wiping out the town.


In 1939, the municipality of Albert decided to rehabilitate the underground gallery to shelter the civilian population and avoid a massive exodus: seven air raid shelters were built.

At the end of 1991, the “Somme 1916” Shelter Museum project was born. Work on repairing and securing 250 metres of underground galleries took months. The museum opened its doors on 1 July 1992.

The “Somme 1916” Museum presents the life of the soldiers in the trenches during the 1 July 1916 offensive. Some fifteen alcoves and showcases have been set up in a 230-metre underground gallery used as an air raid shelter during World War II. Sound, light and pictures give the visitor a view of these soldiers’ everyday life. There is a shop.


“Somme 1916” Museum

Rue Anicet Godin - 80300 Albert

Tel: 03.22.75.16.17

Fax: 03.22.75.56.33

e-mail : musee@somme1916.org

 

Somme Tourism Committee

21 rue Ernest-Cauvin - 80000 Amiens

Tél. : +33 (0) 322 71 22 71

FAX : +33 (0) 322 71 22 69

e-mail : accueil@somme-tourisme.com

The Somme Tourism Committee will be happy to provide you with any information you may desire on the Somme Battlefields and the “Circuit du Souvenir” (Remembrance Trail): commemorations, access, transportation, guided tours for groups and individuals, helicopter flyovers, accommodation, etc... The Tourism Committee also publishes a range of brochures on Remembrance Tourism.

 

Somme Tourism Committee

 

The Somme 14-18

 

Somme 1916 Museum

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Practical information

Address

Rue Anicet Godin 80300
Albert
03.22.75.16.17

Prices

5.5 € pour les adultes. 3.5 € pour les jeunes de 6 à 18 ans. 4.5 € pour les groupes adultes à partir de 15 personnes. 3 € pour les groupes scolaires à partir de 15 personnes.

Weekly opening hours

Du 1er Février au 16 décembre Du 1er Février au 31 Mai et du 1er Octobre à mi Décembre de 9h à 12h et de 14h à 18 h. Du 1er Juin au 30 Septembre, journée continue de 9h à 18 h.

Fermetures annuelles

Du 16 Décembre jusqu’au 31 Janvier

Mametz

Le Mémorial à la division galloise. ©Michael Yare

The Welsh Division memorial in Mametz, the Dragon, depicts Wales protecting France from the Germans.

Welsh Division Memorial (Mémorial à la division galloise )

The 7th British Division skirted Fricourt Salient by the south and took the village on the afternoon of 1 July 1916. But the name Mametz has remained associated with the woods on the north east. This pocket of resistance handicapped efforts to advance eastward but fell (almost completely) into the 3rd Welsh Division's hands on 12 July 1916 after eight days of fierce fighting that took a brutal human toll. A plaque affixed to the memorial in 1994 remembers the Manchester regiment. The Welsh Division memorial. A memorial to the 38th Welsh Division was inaugurated on 11 July 1987, which sustained heavy losses between 3 and 12 July 1916 in Mametz Wood. The monument - a red dragon flapping its wings, spitting fire and crushing barbed wire - is of course Wales' emblem. This mythical creature is ambivalent; it may be good or evil, and angelic or demonic. At Mametz, it symbolizes Wales protecting France against the Germans.
Somme Tourist Board (Comité du tourisme de la Somme) 21 rue Ernest-Cauvin 80000 Amiens, France Phone +33 (0) 322 71 22 71 Fax +33 (0) 322 71 22 69 e-mail: accueil@somme-tourisme.com The Somme Tourist Board will be happy to provide any information you might require about the Somme battlefields and Circuit du Souvenir (remembrance events, directions, transport, private and group tours, helicopter flights, accommodation, etc.). CDT also publishes a series of Memorial Tourism brochures.

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Practical information

Address

80300
Mametz
03 22 71 22 71

Weekly opening hours

Accessible toute l'année

Longueval, Somme

Mémorial national sud-africain. © Carcharoth - GNU Free Documentation License

The South African National Memorial (Mémorial national sud-africain) and Museum in Longueval pay tribute to the South African soldiers who underwent their baptism of fire in Delville Wood...

Seizing Delville Wood (also known as Devil Wood) - a battlefield, memorial, museum and cemetery - was a sine-qua-non for troops to move eastward. That was what the South African troops were asked to do. They met their baptism of fire on that western front from 15 to 20 July 1916. The nightmare began when they were cut off from the rearguard and came under fierce artillery fire - as many as 400 shots a minute - with only makeshift shelters for cover. When the time came to relieve them, only 143 of the brigade's 3,200 men emerged from the trenches unscathed. Longueval is also home to New Zealand's memorial. It was on 15 September 1916 that New Zealand's tank-backed division set out from its bases (between Longueval and Fourcaux Wood - or High Wood) towards its objective, Flers, which it reached later that same day. The 47th London division captured High Wood on 15 September.

The South African National Memorial (Mémorial national sud-africain) Delville Wood, where the South African Infantry Brigade fought in July 1916, spans 63 hectares. The South African Government bought it in 1920 to build its National Memorial. The monument was inaugurated in 1926. It stands at the end of an avenue lined by oak trees grown from South African acorns. The memorial, which consists of a cenotaph (empty tomb) and a triumphal arch, was designed by Herbert Baker. The two typically colonial houses, in Baker's words, symbolise South Africa's two white races, and the semi-circular wall represents the bulwark of civilisation. Alfred Turner sculpted the bronze piece surmounting the arch, depicting Kastor and Polydeuces (the Dioscuri in Greek mythology) holding a spirited horse. Kastor and Polydeuces were the sons of Leda and Zeus. The first was mortal, the second immortal. Their relationship was such, however, that, when Kastor died, Polydeuces persuaded Zeus to unite them in eternity. The underlying message is that two completely different people can share the same destiny. This, the sculptor says, mirrors the camaraderie between South Africa's English and Dutch brothers in arms. British and Boer South Africans had been at war with each other only a few years before, but lay down their lives for the British Commonwealth fighting against a common enemy. This monument was inaugurated on 10 October 1926 by the widow of Louis Botha, the president who unified the country after the 1899-1902 Boer War between Dutch and British settlers in South Africa.
The South African National Museum (Musée national sud-africain)
The Museum was built behind the monument and around the Cross of Consecration, and inaugurated in 1986. It is a replica of Cape Fort and commemorates South Africa's contribution to WWI (on Europe's western front and in Germany's African colonies), WWII, the Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) and the Korean War (1950-1953). Useful Information: The South African National Memorial and Museum (Musée et Mémorial national sud-africain) 5, route de Ginchy 80360 Longueval, France Phone +33 (0) 322 850 217 Fax +33 (0) 322 857 999 Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 3.45 pm from 1 February to 10 November, and from 10.00 am to 5.45 pm from 1 April to 14 October. Somme Tourist Board (Comité du Tourisme de la Somme) 21 rue Ernest-Cauvin 80000 Amiens, France Phone +33 (0) 322 712 271 Fax +33 (0) 322 712 269 e-mail: accueil@somme-tourisme.com The Somme Tourist Board will be happy to provide any information you might require about the Somme battlefields and Circuit du Souvenir (remembrance events, directions, transport, private and group tours, helicopter flights, accommodation, etc.). CDT also publishes a series of Memorial Tourism brochures.

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Practical information

Address

5 route Ginchy 80360
Longueval
03 22 85 02 17

Weekly opening hours

Ouvert du 1 février au 10 novembre, tous les jours sauf le lundi, de 10h à 15h45 ( du 1er avril au 14 octobre de 10h à 17h45).

Thiepval Visitor Centre,

Détail gravé et entouré de lauriers. - Vue du mémorial côté cimetière © Ecpad

You can see the Thiepval Memorial (Mémorial Franco-Britannique) and 45-metre-high Ulster Tower (Tour d'Ulster), the Irish monument commemorating the Battle of the Somme, from miles around.

Thiepval hill, village and (now disappeared) chateau - along with Hamel - were one of the German defence lines' strongholds north of the British flank in 1916. This natural bastion was protected by the Ancre marshlands below and by numerous deep tunnels underground. The Leipzig Salient - as this mainstay was called - saw the British Forces endure catastrophic losses on 1 July that year: Britain lost 58,000 troops (20,000 of whom died) in what became the biggest tragedy in Great Britain's history - and an event that will always be associated with Thiepval. Fighting for control over Thiepval began on 1 July and ended on 26 September 1916.

The 36th Ulster division controlled the area from the skirts of Thiepval Forest to the village of Hamel. And it was the only division that fulfilled its objectives that 1 July. But those ill-fated soldiers got caught between the advancing British artillery and enemy machine-gun fire when German gun crews emerged from the underground passageways in Souabes redoubt. That division lost more than 5,500 men in a few hours and had to be evacuated the following morning.
Thiepval Visitor Centre opened on 1 July 2004, by the Great War's most emblematic and busiest memorial. The Somme General Council and the Thiepval Project group (which ran a fundraising drive across Great Britain) worked together on this project, which likewise secured European Union funding. This centre counts a number of amenities (an information desk, shop, projection room, vending machines and toilets) and an exhibition area casting light on the Battles of the Somme and on the events that befell Thiepval throughout WWI. There are also displays presenting the CWGC (1), Lutyens, reconstruction work, and the debt of remembrance. Open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm 1 May through 30 November and from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm 1 December through 30 April. Closed mid-December through mid-January.
This troubadour-gothic style tower was erected in 1921 following a public fundraising drive. It is the exact replica of the tower on the 36th Ulster Division's training grounds outside Belfast. (The 36th Ulster Division was trapped in German and British crossfire on 1 July 1916). It is Ireland's monument commemorating the Battle of the Somme and a memorial to all the Ulster soldiers killed during the Great War. Visitor facilities on site. In the park, you will find a plaque that the Royal Irish Rangers laid to the memory of the 36th Ulster Division soldiers and to the nine Victoria Crosses. At the back of the park, you will also find a gate leading though to a smaller memorial to the Irish of the Orange Institution, inaugurated in 1994.
Overview You will find a visitor information centre, an audiovisual library, a shop and a cafeteria at Ulster Tower. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10.00 am to 5:00 pm (and 10.00 am to 6.00 pm from 1 May through 30 September).
The British Government decided to erect this Memorial in 1932. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, an architect, in 1923. Its sheer monumental magnitude is the first thing that hits the eye. The great arch towers 45 metres above ground and stands on 16 pillars. It stands to the memory of the 73,367 British who died between July 1915 and March 1918 and have no known grave. Their names are engraved on white Portland stone under laurel wreaths listing the Battles of the Somme. This monument reminds visitors that the French and British armies fought side by side. At the foot of the memorial, facing the valley, you will find the Franco-British cemetery. There, 300 unknown British soldiers and 300 unknown French soldiers are buried as a sign that both countries sustained comparable losses. This cemetery was inaugurated on 31 July 1932 by the Prince of Wales in the presence of then French President Albert Lebrun.
Thiepval Memorial (Mémorial franco-britannique) 80300 Thiepval Phone +33 (0) 322 746 047 Fax +33 (0) 322 746 544 Ulster Tower (La Tour d'Ulster) 80300 Thiepval Phone +33 (0) 322 748 111 Fax +33 (0) 322 748 068 e-mail : sommeassociation@btconnect.com e-mail : teddy.colligan@orange.fr Somme Tourist Board (Comité du Tourisme de la Somme) 21 rue Ernest-Cauvin 80000 Amiens Phone +33 (0) 322 712 271 Fax +33 (0) 322 712 269 e-mail: accueil@somme-tourisme.com The Somme Tourist Board will be happy to provide any information you might require about the Somme battlefields and Circuit du Souvenir (remembrance events, directions, transport, private and group tours, helicopter flights, accommodation, etc.). CDT also publishes a series of Memorial Tourism brochures.
Note: (1) The CWGC is responsible for the upkeep of graves of Commonwealth soldiers in the world.

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Practical information

Address

D151 80300
Thiepval
03 22 74 60 47

Weekly opening hours

Ouvert tous les jours du 1er mai au 30 novembre de 10h à 18h et du 1er décembre au 30 avril de 9h à 17h. Fermé de mi-décembre à mi-janvier.

The Jean Jaurès National Centre and Museum

Inside the Museum. ©Castres Tourism Office

A native son, a champion of socialism and an exceptional orator, Jean Jaurès was assassinated on the eve of World War I.

The city of Castres has dedicated a museum to Jean Jaurès, a native son born in 1859, a champion of socialism and an exceptional orator, a committed pacifist assassinated by Raoul Villain on 31 July 1914 on the eve of World War I.

The Jean Jaurès National Centre and Museum is located in the centre of the city of Castres. This establishment is designed to present Jean Jaurès’ activities and work, while ensuring research work and coordinating events based on the fundamental subjects and ideas of the 19th and 20th centuries.


History

Opened in February 1988 and inaugurated on 16 November of that year by François Mitterand, President of the French Republic, it was founded thanks to the City of Castres, which wanted to showcase the wealth of the Jaurès collections at the museum founded in 1954 to increase understanding of this great thinker, orator, journalist, writer and politician. The effective cooperation of the Société d'Etudes Jaurésiennes, chaired by Mrs Madeleine Rébéroiux, and the precious help of many specialists and historians have made it possible to create a coherent, thorough and modern cultural unit.

 

The collections

The ground floor holds the temporary exhibitions (free admission) on various subjects dealing with the period between 1880 and 1914 (economics, society, everyday life, culture), showcasing regional artists or presenting current issues. There is a rest area, a bar and a counter where visitors can buy postcards, posters and publications about Jean Jaurès.

The first floor houses the museum (paid admission) which gives a chronological and thematic presentation of the great orator’s life:
37 panels, 6 windows and two video terminals showcase various objects and documents. Busts, statuettes, international works on Jean Jaurès, paintings, moulds and workers’ tools are also exhibited.

The second floor has a conference room equipped with audiovisual equipment for projecting films and slides and for organising conferences, debates and seminars (seating capacity: 50 people).

The third floor is dedicated to preservation, consultation, research and documentation: books, reviews, newspapers and archives, which are made available to everyone who wants to use them, notably students, journalists and researchers. The Museum’s library, these works can be consulted on site and are not on loan. Firstly, there is everything written by and about Jean Jaurès and all the texts published when he was alive, but also manuscripts, photographs, a rich iconographic collection and many newspapers and magazines such as “La Dépêche” from 1887 to 1914, “La Petite République” from 1893 to 1903, “La Revue de l'Enseignement Primaire” from 1904 to 1914, etc.

The documentation and research centre has many interesting and rare booklets as well as major collections such as “Le Mouvement Socialiste” (1899-1914), Compère-Morel’s “Encyclopédie Socialiste” (1912-1921), stenographic reports of all the Socialist conferences from 1900 to 1920, essential documents published by the Second International, etc.

 


Jean Jaurès National Centre and Museum

2 place Pélisson - 81100 CASTRES

Tél. 05 63 62 41 83 - Fax : 05 63 50 39 02

e-mail : jaures@ville-castres.fr

 

Museum Visitors’ Service

Hôtel de Ville - B.P. 406

81108 CASTRES Cedex

Tél. : 05.63.71.59.28

Fax : 05.63.71.59.26

E-mail : jb.alba@ville-castres.fr

 

City of Castres

 

Friends of the museum of Castres

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Practical information

Address

2 place Pélisson - 81100
CASTRES
Tél. 05 63 62 41 83Fax : 05 63 50 39 02 Service des publics des muséesHôtel de Ville - B.P. 40681108 CASTRES CedexTél. : 05.63.71.59.28Fax : 05.63.71.59.26E-mail : jb.alba@ville-castres.fr

Prices

Expositions temporaires : gratuit Entrée du musée Jaurès : 2 € (TR : 1,00 €) Billet groupé musées Goya/Jaurès/Centre d'art contemporain : 3,50 €

Weekly opening hours

10h00 - 12h00 / 14h00 - 18h00 Du 1er octobre au 31 mars : 10h00 - 12h00 / 14h00 - 17h00 Juillet - Août : ouvert tous les jours de 10h à 12h et de 14h à 18h

Fermetures annuelles

Les 1er janvier, 1er mai, 1 novembre, 25 décembre et le dimanche du 1er novembre au 31 mars

Musée Militaire du Périgord

©Musé Militaire du Perigord-JR-Courbin-2002

Musée centenaire fondé par les vétérans de 1870, présentant l’histoire militaire locale au sein de la grande région Aquitaine grâce à des collections exceptionnelles (plus de 13 000 objets exposés).

Ouvert depuis 1911, il est dédié à la mémoire des Périgourdins et de leurs familles qui y ont déposé, depuis cette époque, armes, uniformes et souvenirs de toutes sortes, en complément de dons de l’État et de dépôts d’autres musées. Les collections évoquent la mémoire des combattants de la région, à toutes les époques, dans leur vie quotidienne, leurs engagements, qu’ils aient été soldats de métier ou simplement appelés sous les drapeaux, en la situant dans le cadre global de l’histoire militaire de la France.

Du Moyen Age à l’époque actuelle, les objets et documents présentés sont le plus souvent rares, remarquables, émouvants ou simplement pittoresques et proviennent autant de personnages célèbres (Daumesnil, Bugeaud …) que de simples soldats. Vous trouverez au Musée Militaire du Périgord, plus de 15 000 objets militaires.
Les conflits de 1914/1918, 1939/1945, Indochine, Algérie ont apporté leur lot de souvenirs, parfois remis par l’Etat comme les canons et mitrailleuses, prises de guerre sur l‘ennemi d’alors, mais aussi et toujours par les combattants eux-mêmes ou leur famille.

Et le flot ne tarit pas puisque ces dernières années, des souvenirs d’ex Yougoslavie ou de la guerre Du Golfe ont été inscrits à l’inventaire du musée. La présentation permanente des collections au public, s’accompagne d’expositions annuelles consacrées à un thème historique, tout en accordant également une assistance à l’organisation de manifestations locales organisées par diverses collectivités par le biais d’un service de conseil et de prêts d’objets.

Un effort particulier est exercé dans le domaine de l’éducation par un accueil des classes gratuit et accompagné sur des thèmes choisis par les enseignants. L’établissement est, depuis sa création, toujours géré par les membres bénévoles de l’Association du Musée Militaire des Gloires et Souvenirs du Périgord qui ont en charge la présentation et l’entretien des collections, organisent les expositions et assurent les visites guidées.

 


 

 

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Practical information

Address

32 rue des Farges - 24000
Périgueux
05 53 53 47 36

Prices

Plein tarif : 5€ / Réduit : 3€ (groupe + 10 personnes, personnel du Ministère de l'Intérieur ou des Armées, adhérents Université du Temps Libre de Périgueux) / Gratuit pour les enfants de moins de 18 ans et les groupes scolaires

Weekly opening hours

Du lundi au samedi de 14h à 18h

Fermetures annuelles

Dimanches et jours fériés, sauf demande particulière pour les groupes

Musée Clemenceau

Georges Clemenceau a vécu dans cet appartement de trois pièces sur jardin avec vue sur la tour Eiffel, durant 35 ans, jusqu’à sa mort le 24 novembre 1929. Devenu musée, ce lieu est resté tel qu’il était le jour de la mort du « Père la Victoire ». Au premier étage, une galerie documentaire expose de nombreux objets retraçant la vie et l’œuvre de Georges Clemenceau : portraits, photos, livres, journaux et manuscrits, mais aussi le célèbre manteau et les guêtres qu’il portait lors de ses visites au front pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.

Georges Clemenceau s’installa rue Franklin, dans le 16ème arrondissement, en 1895, peu de temps après le scandale de Panama à la suite duquel, calomnié, il perdit son siège de député. Il vivra dans ce modeste appartement de trois pièces sur jardin avec vue sur la tour Eiffel, durant trente-cinq ans jusqu'à sa mort le 24 novembre 1929. 

Clemenceau ne quittera jamais cet appartement, même quand il exercera, par deux fois, les fonctions de Président du Conseil – d’abord comme ministre de l’Intérieur, entre octobre 1906 et juillet 1909, puis comme ministre de la Guerre, entre novembre 1917 et janvier 1920 - refusant à chaque fois d'habiter dans les palais officiels, ne souhaitant pas « vivre en meublé », selon ses propres termes.

C’est dans cet appartement que le général Mordacq vint lui annoncer la fin de la guerre.

« A 5h45, je recevai la nouvelle que l’Armistice était signé. Je me précipitai aussitôt chez Clemenceau . j’y arrivai vers 6 heures. Je trouvai le Président dans sa chambre, éveillé et levé. Il n’avait pas dû dormir beaucoup car, lui aussi, comme tous les bons Français, se demandait si décidemment, cette fois, c’était bien la fin du long cauchemar. Dès que je lui eu annoncé la bonne nouvelle, il me prit dans ses bras et m’y serra longuement. Très émus tous les deux, nous restâmes ainsi plusieurs minutes sans pouvoir parler » …. 

Général H. Mordacq, « L’Armistice du 11 novembre 1918, récit d’un témoin », Paris, Librairie Plon, 1937, p.78-84

A la mort de Clemenceau, l’appartement fut transformé en musée et conservé dans l’état. Le visiteur peut toujours y admirer les nombreux témoignages reflétant le goût de son célèbre occupant non seulement pour la Grèce antique, mais aussi pour l’Extrême-Orient, de même que la trace de ses amitiés nouées avec les artistes les plus novateurs de son temps (Monet, Manet, Rodin, etc….).

Une galerie documentaire au premier étage est adjointe au musée, quelques années après, retraçant la vie incroyablement riche de cette personnalité aux multiples facettes : médecin, maire de Montmartre, député et journaliste, ministre, Président du Conseil, anticlérical farouche, écrivain, collectionneur, ….

Quatre-vingt-six ans après la mort de Clemenceau, la Fondation a entrepris un premier chantier de restauration dans le cadre du Centenaire de la Grande Guerre. Cette première tranche, regroupant la restauration du cabinet de travail et le vestibule de l’appartement du Tigre, répond à une exigence scrupuleuse dans la restitution fidèle des pièces telles que Clemenceau les avait connues jusqu’à sa mort, exigence répondant à l’objet même de la Fondation du musée. Les travaux de restauration du cabinet de travail et du vestibule auront duré cinq mois pour redonner tout son lustre au décor cher à Clemenceau.

Aujourd’hui, le musée a rouvert ses portes avec le plaisir d’y retrouver ses visiteurs de plus en plus nombreux.

 

Sources : ©Musée Clemenceau
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Practical information

Address

8 rue Benjamin Franklin 75116
Paris
Tel. : 01 45 20 53 41

Prices

- Plein tarif 6€ (audioguide inclus)- Jeunes de 12 à 25 ans : 3€ (audioguide inclus)- Gratuité pour les - de 12 ans

Weekly opening hours

Du mardi au samedi de 14h à 17h30

Fermetures annuelles

Jours fériés et le mois d’août

International Balloon Museum - Balleroy

Une vitrine du musée. Source : Portail touristique Terre de Trésors

After its inauguration in 1975 by its founder, Malcolm S. Forbes, the International Balloon Museum of Balleroy on the grounds of Calvados was established on the former stables on the site. The Balloon Museum tells the history of air ballooning from the Revolution to the interwar period.

The château of Balleroy, the design of which inspired the design of the palace of Versailles, was built ex nihilo in 1631 at the request of the duke of Choisy by the architect François Mansart (1598-1666).

 

The architect gave the structure the first spiral staircase ever seen in France. Works by other masters, such as Baudry, Delaroche, Géricault, Gros and Van Loo add to the brilliance of the place named after count Albert of Balleroy, a talented animal painter a student of Schmitz, who exhibited his works at in the hall from 1853 to 1870.

The reception hall has a series of royal portraits of Juste d'Egmont crowned by a ceiling painted in trompe-l'œil style by Charles de la Fosse.

 

During the course of the renovation of the interior, the dining hall is fitted with Régence panelling from a private hotel in Paris.

 

The library, built in English style around 1850, houses more than 3600 works.

 

The park is lies between romantic gardens built in 1856 and French-style panels designed according to the plans of André Le Nôtre and altered by Henri Duchêne in the 19th century.

 

The property was acquired in 1970 by media magnate Malcolm S. Forbes (1919-1990).

 

He was a world-renowned balloonist who set six hot-air ballooning world records, and was the first to successfully cross the United States, from east to west, with a single hot-air balloon. He wass also a member of the consultation committee of the Naval College.

 

He decided to create an international balloon museum on his new property. The wealthy, passionate individual gradually built up the collection, collecting photographs, sketches, dioramas, genuinely unusual objects and unique documents on the history of air ballooning, in particular on the role of air balloons during the sieges that took place during the war of 1870.

 

 

Château de Balleroy - Musée des Ballons

F-14490 Balleroy

Tél. : 02.31.21.60.61 - Fax : 02.31.21.51.77

E-mail : reservation@chateau-balleroy.com

 

Château de Balleroy

 

 

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Practical information

Address

14490
Balleroy
Tél. : 02.31.21.60.61Fax : 02.31.21.51.77

Prices

Individuel Musée-adultes : 4.27 € Enfants : 3.81 € Château-adultes : 5.35 € Enfants : 4.57 € Parc-adultes : 3.00 € Musée&Château-adultes : 6.86 € Enfants : 5.35 € Parc avec billet combiné : gratuit Groupe (20 personnes au minimum) Musée-adultes : 3.81 € Enfants : 3.35 € Château-adultes : 4.90 € Enfants : 4.12 € Parc-adultes : 3 € Musée&Château-adultes : 6.40 € Enfants : 4.90 €

Weekly opening hours

- du 15 mars au 30 juin : 10h - 18h (fermé le mardi) - du 1er juillet au 31 août : Tous les jours de 10h à 18h - du 1er septembre au 15 octobre : 10h - 18h (fermé le mardi) - du 15 octobre au 24 décembre Ouvert toute l'année sur réservation pour les groupes de 20 personnes mini.

Lorrain Museum - Palais Ducal de Nancy

Façade du Musée Lorrain (ancienne entrée du Palais des Ducs de Lorraine). ©LOUIS54 - Creative Commons - domain public

The Lorrain Museum invites visitors to discover the rich history of Lorraine from prehistoric times to World War I.

Located at the heart of the old city centre of Nancy, the Musée Lorrain lies close to the Palais Ducal and Église des Cordeliers. Work on the oldest part of the palace began under René II (1473-1508), the conqueror of Charles the Reckless, and continued under his successors until early in the XVII century.

 

Nowadays, the first level of the structure contains the reception and dining room used by the dukes of Lorraine, known as the "Galerie des Cerfs". On the ground floor, there is an open-vaulted gallery overlooking the garden, while a portal marks the Grande Rue entrance. Also built in Gothic style, its décor suggests that it is one of the earliest examples of work from the Renaissance period in eastern France.

In 1850, the first hall of the Lorrain Museum opened its doors to the public. From then on, the museum expanded and now has some 4 500 m2 of exhibition areas scattered across a number of sites in the old city. These structures, with their powerful history, house rich collections assembled over more than 150 years, the most notable items of which include the tables of Georges de la Tour and the work of Jacques Callot, but also reference collections, art collections and collections of popular traditional items. Since 2000, the renovation of the Lorrain Museum has taken the form of a joint initiative involving the City of Nancy, the Historical Society of Lorraine and the Musée Lorrain, the French government and the Lorraine regional government. It is managed by the City of Nancy, which is also the project supervisor, in partnership with the French and regional governments under the terms of the contract for the 2000/2006 plan.

 

The aim of the project is to rebuild the museum, while at the same time preserving historical buildings and creating new areas in which to host exhibits by modern museums in line with the expectations of modern audiences. Thanks to the creation of these areas, the Lorrain Museum will become « the museum for all peoples of Lorraine», a cultural reference point not only at a regional level but also at a national and international level. A plan for for reserves common to the museums of Nancy is currently in progress. This plan is a joint initiative between the City of Nancy and the urban community of Grand Nancy. The objective of the plan is to create an area for the storage, conservation and analysis of collections, and to have a permanent community tool for the development of these facilities. The renovation of the Lorrain Museum is thus now under way. It will continue to welcome members of the public for the duration of the renovation process.

 

By way of an introduction, the archaeology halls highlight the characteristics of the different peoples that have inhabited this region: everyday objects, fine clothing, armaments and sculptures bear witness to the wealth of prehistoric, Gallo-Roman and Merovingian civilisations in the east of France. Collections from the Middle Ages are displayed in the vaulted gallery of the ground floor of the Palais Ducal. Religious and funeral sculptures and pieces of silverware sit next to ceramics, glasses and stained-glass windows from the Medieval period, as well as armaments from the XIV and XV centuries. Renaissance art finds its expression in particular in works by Ligier Richier (Eglise des Cordeliers) and a set of remarkable stained-glass windows and sculptures, such as Christ in the Olive Garden and the Passion of Christ series.
The Femme à la Puce painting, the famous masterpiece by Georges de La Tour, is surrounded by paintings of his surroundings. The brass works and etchings of Jacques Callot are another highlight of a visit to the Museum. Among the objects emblematic of the reign of Stanislas you will find the statue of Louis XV. A small-scale version of this statue adorned the royal palace before it was destroyed during the Revolution and replaced by a statue of Stanislas. The collection of regional earthenware from the XVIII and XIX centuries is a reference collection.

 

The armaments and evocation of Lorraine military chiefs recall the role of this strategic and patriotic region during the XIX and XX centuries. A hall with miniatures and another hall with Jewish play at the Museum. The everyday life of the inhabitants of Lorraine from the late XVIII century to the early XX century is illustrated by collections of popular art and ethnography housed in the convent of the Cordeliers : regional furniture, popular earthenware and domestic objects are displayed in settings reminiscent of traditional Lorraine home interiors.
The Museum's education service, an association governed in accordance with the law of 1901, has been in place at the Museum since 1961. The service offers the following all year round: Schools: from kindergarten to final-year students Teachers, children and young people from specialist education institutions MJCs, FJEPs, rural homes a wide range of activities: - free or guided visits : Musée Historique Lorrain, Musée des Arts et Traditions, Chapelle des Cordeliers, Porte de la Craffe - Pantomimes for and by children - Workshops on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and during school holidays : linocut, costumes, etching, masks, models, photography - The use of educational tools, videos, slide films - Access to cultural education service : conferences, exhibitions - Preparation and holding of cultural heritage classes and workshops. Contact : Mireille Canet Telefax: 03 83 37 25 55
 

 

Musée Lorrain

Palais Ducal - 64 Grande Rue - 54 000 Nancy

Tel. : 03.836.32.18.74 - Fax : 03.83.32.87.63

e-mail : museelorrain@mairie-nancy.fr

 

How to get there by CGFTE shuttle service. Stop: Musée Lorrain. Hours The Museum is open every day from 10h00 to 12h30 and from 14h00 to 18h00, except Tuesdays. Closed 1 January, 1 May, 14 July, 1 November and 25 December. Pricesfor permanent collections Single : ?3.10 Group (more than 10 people) ad concession rate : ?2.30 Pricesfor exhibits Single : ?5 Group (more than 10 people) and concession rate : ?3 Pricesfor combined visits (Musée Lorrain and Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires) Single : ?4.60 Group (more than 10 people) and concession rate : ?3.10 Pricesfor combined visits and access to temporary exhibits Single : ?6 Group (more than 10 people) and concession rate : ?4

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Practical information

Address

64 Grande Rue 54000
Nancy
03 83 32 18 74

Prices

Palais ducal : normal 4€, réduit 2,50 € Église et couvent des Cordeliers : normal 3,50 € , réduit 2 € Palais ducal et Cordeliers jumelés : normal 5,50 €, réduit 3,50 € Accès gratuit pour tous le 1er dimanche du mois et pour les étudiants le mercredi

Weekly opening hours

De 10h à 12h30 et de 14h à 18h Ouverture exceptionnelle les lundis de Pâques et de Pentecôte

Fermetures annuelles

Fermé le lundi, les 1er janvier, 1er mai, 14 juillet, 1er novembre et 25 décembre.