Built on a rocky outcrop, Brest Castle dominates the Penfeld River and the harbour. It stands on a major strategic site whose importance as such was recognised as early as the 3rd century, when the Romans set up base there to protect the province of Armorique from Frankish and Saxon pirates.

In the twelfth century, the counts of Léon restored the old bases left by the Romans and a small town surrounding a chapel was established within its walls, a town that grew into the Brest we know today! During the Hundred Years' War, the castle was occupied by the English and besieged by Duguesclin. Anne of Brittany also stayed there in 1505 during a pilgrimage. In the seventeenth century, under pressure from Richelieu and Colbert for Brest to become the French Royal Navy's major arsenal on the Atlantic coast, it was decided that the castle's defences needed to be improved. The architect Vauban then transformed it into a veritable citadel, and the town grew below it. In a town that had to be almost entirely rebuilt after the fierce raids of 1944, the castle is the last remaining testimony to centuries past.
The Castle has been constantly adapted to changes in siege tactics and weaponry. It needed to be able to resist two types of attack: those from the sea, but mostly those from the land. Consequently, its architecture is complex and additions were frequently made to it over time. Parts of the Roman walls are still visible, and the Paradis Towers have preserved their medieval character (pepper-box roofs and machicolation). But in its current state, the castle remains characteristic of the defensive fortification architecture developed by Vauban, in particular to respond to the use of siege artillery. For seventeen centuries, from Roman encampment to its role as a naval base, the destiny of the Castle has been linked to the sea, the history of a town, a province and an entire country.
There has been a small museum in the arsenal since the beginning of the nineteenth century: a room devoted to models is home to many sculptures and historic model ships. Fortunately, these collections were stowed away during World War II and thus spared. They now form part of the National Maritime Museum network in Brest, Port-Louis, Rochefort, Toulon and Paris. In 1958, a new museum was established in the castle, the museum that is today visited by the public. Not to be missed are the masterpieces of maritime heritage and culture, the naval history of Brest, the castle's historic rooms and the exceptional views of the harbour and the Penfeld River.
The dungeon houses permanent collections devoted to the golden era of naval construction, as well as the penal system, weapons and scientific instruments. The temporary exhibitions (photos, paintings, case studies) are presented in the Paradis Towers, while the Madeleine Tower displays more modern naval history. Visitors can also see the S622 submarine, an example of a Seehund pocket submarine, and a boat-people vessel.
The Museum offers a series of themed tours for children at the entrance. For its temporary exhibitions, the Museum proposes a discovery tour for children. Booklets on a certain theme and questionnaires designed for children aged 8 and over are available for visitors not part of an organised tour ("Tonnerre de Brest!" a visit questionnaire based on the collections on display at Brest Castle; "Au vent de Suroît" a visit questionnaire based on the history of Brest Castle Museum) For youngsters and adults: - Guided tours all year round for groups on appointment. During the summer months, individual visitors can also follow a guided commentary at fixed times. - Greeting and training for teachers Entry is free for any teachers wishing to prepare a class trip to the Museum.
Musée National de la Marine Château de Brest 29200 Brest Tél. : 02.98.22.12.39 Fax: 02.98.43.30.54 E-Mail: [email = brest@musee-marine.fr] brest@musee-marine.fr [/ email]

Fort de Sainte-Agnès, a structure in the Fortified Sector of the Alpes Maritimes on the Maginot Line, was built between 1932 and 1938 and is completely underground. Its purpose was to defend the border between France and Italy. The village of Sainte-Agnès, the highest coastal village in Europe, clutches to the side of a 780-metre peak overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. This advantage led the local lords to use it as a fortress starting in the 16^th century. Thus, as a privileged observation and defence position, the construction of the Maginot structure at Sainte-Agnès was part of the military programme for the Fortified Sector of the Alpes Maritimes (SFAM).

Sainte-Agnès is located on a rocky outcropping overlooking the sea at nearly 800 metres. During the Roman period, the site was semi-permanently occupied by shepherds and peasants. The discovery of a church consecrated to Saint Agnès, martyr under the reign of Diocletian, has made it possible to date the founding of the town to the beginning of the 12^th century, when it belonged to the Count of Ventimiglia. A strategically important location for the Counts of Provence and the Genoese, the site was fortified at the end of the 14^th century by the House of Savoy. The scene of battles between French troops and the Sardinians, the fortress became a possession of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia between 1814 and 1860, when the County of Nice and Savoy were attached to France.

The fort, built between 1932 and 1938 to defend the Bay of Menton against Italian attacks, is completely underground. With 2,000 m² of galleries and rooms, it was dug into over 55 metres of rock. Exclusively defensive, with powerful artillery blocks, it was one of the most powerful structures in the Fortified Sector of the Alpes Maritimes. Designed to be completely autonomous, the Fort de Sainte-Agnès is a veritable “underground city”.

The fort has also kept its artillery in a bunker (135 and 75-mm Howitzer cannons, 81-mm mortar). The south block (or block 2), the most powerfully armed front bunker of the entire Maginot Line (75 mm, 81 mm and 135 mm cannons), held off the Italian offensive of June 1940, with a barrage of artillery blocking the coast and forcing the Italian troops to retreat.

The fort was owned by the State until 1990. The municipality of Sainte-Agnès then acquired it to open it to the public and to preserve the memory of the site.

Town Hall

102 Place Saint Jean 06500 Sainte Agnès

Tel.: +33 (0)4 93 35 84 58

Fax: +33 (0)4 92 10 35 14

Opening hours: Week-ends from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm. From July to September (closed Mondays) from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm.

Admission (guided tours): Adults: €3.05 Children: €1.52 Groups (booked in advance): €2.29

Access: Coach Station – Regular service between Menton and Sainte-Agnès Tel.: +33 (0)4 93 35 73 51

Departure from the Menton coach station: every day at 9.50 am, 2.00 pm and 4.15 pm. An additional shuttle on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8.00 am, 11.30 am, 1.00 pm and 5.15 pm.

Departure from Sainte-Agnès: every day at 10.20 am, 2.35 pm and 4.45 pm. An additional shuttle on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8.30 am, 12.00 pm, 1.30 pm and 5.45 pm.

A8 motorway: Menton exit, the N 7 highway: seaside road, then follow the itinerary through the Valley du Borrigo or the Corniche des Serres de la Madone

The Landing Museum, built in 1954 next to the beach of Arromanches, is located on the same site where the artificial port, traces of which can still be seen, was built, several hundred metres from the shore. "Mulberry B" is the official code name given to the artificial port of Arromanches ("Mulberry A" being the name given to the artificial American port that runs along Vierville-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer ). This port had to allow the transport of dfferent types of cargo (live and material) for the troops involved in the battle of Normandy.

- Open 1 February to 30 December : Winter : 9h30 to 12h30 and 13h30 to 17h30. Summer : 9h to 19h. Annual closure : 1 January - 31 January - Four-language reception, trilingual guided visit, visit aids - Boutiques-souvenirs - Duration of visit :1h15 - Prices : Adults : 6.00 Euros / Children, students : 5.00 Euros. Reduction if visiting several museums on the history of the battle of Normandy : 5.50 Euros - Sale to groups only (more than 20 people) of tickets that include admission to the Arromanches Museum and the Pegasus Memorial in Ranville. Adults : 6.50 Euros. School students : 5.00 Euros - Label Normandy Quality Tourism

The establishment is a joint effort by the Departmental Association of Deportees, Prisoners and Resistance Fighters, the Departmental Association of Patriotic Deportees, Prisoners and Resistance Fighters, and the town of Varilhes.

Decorated with the Cross of War on 11 November 1948, it was described as a "town that during the Occupation played an active part in the fight against the enemy.”

The great services provided by the population to the Resistance and the Allied cause provoked reprisals from the Occupier who carried out a huge number of deportations. Twenty-two of its sons gave their life for France. (Max Lejeune, Secretary of State for the War Armed Forces).

This tribute to history and remembrance gives an illustrated and comprehensive vision of the major steps of deportation and internment between 1933 and 1945.

Four tableau present the concentration camp system to visitors:

A first part is dedicated to the emergence of the Nazi concentration camps between 1933 and 1939.

A second part highlights the beginnings of the deportation of the Jews in France from 1940 to 1942 (the Vichy Regime, the exclusion of the Jews, the roundups and imprisonment, the repression of the opponents).

A third part explains the organisation of the Deportation between 1942 and 1944 (the turning point of 1942, the departure from France, the organisation of the concentration camps, the camp: a place of order without entitlement, omnipresent death, the final solution, the Resistance).

The last theme is the end of the camps and the period of the trials (evacuation and liberation of the camps, the homecoming to France, the trials).

Ariége Museum of Deportation and Internment

Hôtel de Ville de Varilhes

Tel: 05.61.60.73.24

Museum website

Opening times

The Museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays (2-6 pm) 

Open to school groups on weekdays, please enquire

Tourist Information Office

3 avenue Louis-Siret - 09120 Varilhes

Tel: 05.61.60.55.54

Fax: +33 (0)5 61 60 55 54

Email: office-tourisme.varilhes@wanadoo.fr 

Nicknamed the Dragon's Cave ('Drachenhöhle') by German soldiers, this former quarry dates back to the 16th century and was operated until the 19th. In January 1915, German units began converting it into a complete underground barracks with both firing and command posts.

But the cave was much more than that; it provided the soldiers with a haven of peace, a place where they could rest and relax away from the fighting above ground. It included dormitories, a first aid post and a chapel. It was fitted with electricity and water, for basic comfort and hygiene. From mid-September to 2nd November 1917, German and French troops both lived in the cave. Walls built during the German Occupation to prevent access to the cave and defend against gas attacks separated the two sides inside the cave.

The new building overlooks the Aisne Valley, offering breathtaking views. Converted into a Remembrance Museum, the Dragon's Cave recreates the daily lives of the soldiers through modern animation methods, objects, sounds, videos and archive images. Now enlarged and brought to life by the staging design, the Cave's secrets are ours to share.

The Dragon's Cave

Chemin des Dames 02160 Oulches-la-Vallée-Foulon

Tel.: +33 (0) 3.23.25.14.18 Fax: +33 (0) 3.23.25.14.11

E-mail :caverne@cg02.fr Visiting dates and times

Caverne du Dragon

The Dragon's Cave can only be visited as part of a guided tour.

Reservations are strongly recommended for weekends and public holidays.

Opening times

February - December: 10am - 6pm

July and August (every day): 10am - 7pm

Tours begin every half-hour:

February - December: 10am - 4.30pm

July and August (every day): 10am - 5.30pm

Length of tour: 90 mins

In the Middle Age , Ypres was with, Bruges and Gand, one of the most important commercial cities of Flandres. The Sheet Hall in the big Market Place, the market hall is the storage place of the textiles of Ypres, this is an example of the enormous richness of this town in the XIII century. During the First World war Ypres was the center of the salient of Ypres and one of the bloodiest zones of the west front. Between October 1914 and October 1918 on five battlefields 500 000 victims were counted. The Germans never besieged the old medieval town, except for one day only. It was completely devastated by the different fights.

After the war the city was completely rebuilt and became one of the biggest centers of Memory of the war. In the new Sheet Hall, the Flandres Field Museum was constructed on 1998. Here the history of the 1914 - 1918 War is proposed to the 21st century public, with the use of a current technology. Take notice of: - The Ypres Centre with the Sheet Halls and the Saint Martin church - The Flandres Field Museum on the first floor of the Sheet Hall - The town of Ypres received the Military Cross from Mister Poincaré on January 28th 1920.
The front line towards Ypres has a half circular form encircling Ypres. Northwards you can find the flooded plane of Yser and the Belgian sector. Southwards, the line follows Wijtschate and Messines to come back down towards the Lys valley and the French border. On this soil five bloody battles took place. During the first Ypres battle (October 17th - November 22nd 1914), the French and British try to fight against the German breakthrough towards the channel harbours. The second battle of Ypres ( April 22nd - May 24th 1915), started with the first toxic gas attack in history. Another time, the French and English broke the German offensive, but this time the front line was far too small.
Two years later, in 1917 the great British attack took place and ended 100 days after in Passendale. This third Ypres battle (July 31st - November 10th 1917) was the bloodiest among the five. During the German offensive in springtime (April - May 1918) the terrain conquered by the allies was lost and in Kemmel the front was pierced. Thus the positions remained until the end of August. At the end of September 1918 the allied liberation offensive broke through the salient of Ypres for good. Today more then 140 cemeteries and three big Memorials point out the great presence of the Commonwealth troops. The French presence was also very important and sometimes even crucial. One of the biggest German necropolises is situated near Langemark.
- The Menin Gate in Ypres counting nearly 55 000 names of missing soldiers of the Commonwealth. Every evening at 8:00 p.m. the Last Post is played in memory of the victims. - The Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passendale, is with more then 12 000 graves and 35 000 names of missing soldiers the biggest military cemetery of the Commonwealth. - The necropolis of Langemark preserves the Memory of 44 500 identified German soldiers and of 11 800 unknown soldiers.
The Flandres Field Museum is open every day from April to September, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and from October to March from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday included. The Museum is closed during the three weeks of the end year festivities. Phone number : 00 32 57 22 85 84 Website : flandersfields@ieper.be, www.inflandersfields.be Streekbezoekerscentrum Ieper - 0032 57 22 85 84 email : toerinsme@ieper.be Website : http://www.ieper.be

Gateway to the sites and museums preserving the memory of the last three wars in the Ardennes department, the Museum of War and Peace in the Ardennes is located at Novion-Porcien.

Built by Agence Trois Arches at the initiative of the Ardennes Departmental Council, this site was inaugurated in July 2003.

Occupying four thousand square metres in two complementary spaces on the ground floor and on the first floor or mezzanine, national and local military aspects of the wars of 1870, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 are presented.

The visitor reaches the museum from the East through an enclosed, semi-underground space.

The ground floor lets you experience the main events of the conflicts through ten large scenes, each accompanied by an explanatory video. The tone is set with the charge of Prussian infantry, the best trained and best equipped army of the day when Napoleon III declared war on Bismarck and Wilhelm I’s Germany after the Ems Dispatch. Then comes the fighting at the house of the last cartridge in Bazeilles, a village 8 km from Sedan where commander Lambert’s group of seventy men stood up to 2,300 Germans in September 1870.

World War I is depicted through the life of German and French troops in the trenches. The soldiers had left home with "flowers in their gun barrels", but found themselves in a war of positions in which men on both sides dug underground to protect themselves, giving rise to the figure of the French “Poilu” who suffered the rigors of the seasons, shortages and bloody attacks, which in the end led to mutiny.

This visit through five tableaux gives an idea of the military aspects of the last war. Everyday life on the Maginot Line during the Phoney War between September 1939 and May 1940, a fortified underground system desired by the French Army staff headquarters who were convinced that the Ardennes could not be crossed. Then "Case Yellow" is presented, the plan for invading France following the principle of the Blitzkrieg, a joint attack by armoured units and aviation that led to the Allied rout at Dunkirk and the establishment of the Vichy government after the armistice was signed on 22 June 1940.

Everyday life: STO (Service du Travail Obligatoire – Compulsory Work Service), deportation and resistance fill the next scene dedicated to the Allied landing in June 1944. The ups and downs and the importance of the logistical resources deployed to win the Battle of Normandy and the re-conquest of Europe form the narrative framework for the display of Anglo-American equipment such as jeeps, Sherman tanks, amphibious trucks and movable bridges.

Upstairs, the mezzanine lets you contemplate the scenes on the ground floor from a distance, but especially provides an initiation to the evolutions in warfare throughout history and the main progress made in weaponry. As before, information kiosks provide the scientific and technical explanations necessary for understanding each exhibit. The windows dedicated to changes in soldiers’ lives presents them in their uniforms, which trended toward keeping them invisible for the enemy, from red trousers to khaki outfits, not to mention the German feldgrau and the French bleu horizon, from the Pickelhaube (spiked helmet) and ceremonial uniforms to the Adrian helmet and the American M1 helmet, but also show their everyday life – packs and supplies, entertainment – and the progress made in health and hygiene – collective showers, toothpaste, shaving cream, etc.

The visit finishes with a look at the changes made in warfare through progress made in military techniques. Each main type is presented. You can take your time to delve into the revolution of rifled arms, cartridges, smokeless powder, shells, automatic arms and the machine gun (Maxim, Chauchat, M1 Garand), but also the continuity of ancestral battle techniques: knives, sabres, bayonets, and the headaches of cleaning out the trenches during World War I.

Museum of War and Peace in the Ardennes

Route Sery - 08270 Novion Porcien

Tel.: +33 (0)3.24.72.69.50

Fax: +33 (0)3.24.72.97.30

Motorway access, A4 to A34. Route de Sery.

Ardennes Departmental Council / General Directorate of Departmental Services /

Departmental Directorate of Tourism and Leisure Centres

Hôtel du Département

08011 Charleville-Mézières Cédex

Tel.: +33 (0)3.24.59.60.60

Fax: +33 (0)3.24.37.76.76 / +33 (0)3.24.52.48.02

Opening hours

The museum is open every day from June to September from 10 am to 7 pm

From 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm from October to May, every day except Tuesdays

Annual closing: 15 to 31 January, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December

Admission

Adults: €5 Under 18, military personnel, job seekers, veterans: €3 Families (2 adults and up to 3 children): €14 Groups (at least 20 people) Adults: €3.50 Schools: €2 Children under 6: free

Audioguide services available in French, English, German and Dutch.

Guided tours by reservation. The Museum is fully accessible to the disabled

Other resources – A temporary exhibition room is used to expand upon and round out the permanent exhibit – An auditorium can hold 70 people for conferences and projections – A leisure area

Ardennes Departmental Council

Built by the Germans (Organisation TODT) in 1943, the Eperlecques bunker was the first base for launching V2 missiles built in France.

At the same time, in the same forest, a V1 launchpad was under construction. It is 20 km from the coast, between Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne and St-Omer.

From March to 27 August 1943, construction of the Eperlecques bunker was making good progress. On 27 August, the site was bombarded by the Allies. Work began again and the deported and prisoners began to arrive in November. The initial project was altered to install a liquid oxygen production plant (combustive fuel for V2).

Visitors walk around a park set out with diorama and military equipment, following a marked route with sound in several languages, as follows: A page in history

•         Comparison of V1 and V2;

•         Development of the Eperlecques bunker;

•         Construction of this concrete giant;

•         The bombings;

•         Modifications to plans after the bombings;

•         The result of an artificial earthquake.

Visitors then enter the building, where the visit continues. Inside the bunker, an audio-visual projection plunges visitors into cold and darkness.

On leaving the bunker, visitors listen to conclusions relating the past to modern day, such as the fact that the V2 was the ancestor of space conquest. The final message emphasises the necessity to work for peace.

Eperlecques Bunker
Rue du Sart 62910 Eperlecques
Tel.: +33 (0)3.21.88.44.22
Fax: +33 (0)3.21.88.44.84

Open in March from 11am to 5pm. In April and October from 10am to 6pm. In May, June, July, August and September from 10am to 7pm. In November from 2.15pm to 5pm.
 

Eperlecques Bunker
 

Quiz: Forts and citadels

Short history of the construction In February 1806, Napoleon I orders the construction of the Arc de Triomphe, in order to commemorate the victories of his armies. Finally the emperor decides to built it in Place de l'Etoile. The first stone of the monument is placed on August 15th 1806. The plans of this construction are those of the architect CHALGRIN. In 1870, in occasion to Napoleon's wedding with the archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he will built a trompe-oeuil of wood and painted material. Finished in time for the ceremony, the decoration gives an idea of what the monument will be once completed. CHALGRIN dies in 1810. He is replaced by Louis-Robert GOUST. At the end of the year 1813, the Arc reaches 19 meters height. The events of 1814 questions everything. Under the "Restoration", the works doze. Louis Philippe, who became king in 1830, decides to give life to this project again. The works start again and the Arc de Triomphe, dedicated to the Armies of the Revolution and to the Empire will be completed by the architect Guillaume - Abel BLOUET. The monument will be inaugurated on July 29th 1836.

The Monument The proportion of the Arc de Triomphe are enormous : it measures 49 meters height and exceeds 45 meters width. The arch of the two frontages reaches 20,50 meters of height for a width of 14,50 meters. The transversal frontages are pierced of an arch of 19 meters height on a width of 8,50 meters. The big frieze surrounding the four façades represents the great personalities of the Revolution and the Empire, or furthermore the return of the armies from Italy and Egypt.
The most imposing ornament is without any doubt the one formed by the four colossal groups erected on each pier of the two great façades : - Avenue de Champs Elysées : the Departure of the volunteers (left), still called La Marseillaise, of François RUDE and on the Triumph of the emperor (left) sculpted by Jean-Pierre CORTOT - Avenue de la Grande Armée, the two sculptured alto-rilievo represent the Resistance on the right, and the Peace on the left. On the interior surfaces of the big and small arches, the names of the generals and the great battles of the Revolution and the Empire are engraved. On the ground, near the grave of the unknown soldier, several bronze plaques commemorate important events of the contemporary history : the proclamation of the Republic on September 4th 1870, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France on November 11th 1918 the call to arms on June 18th 1940. It also evocates the memory to the fighters and the resistant fighters of the Second World war, as well as the memory of "the dead for France" in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe means climbing up 284 steps (an elevator gives access to handicapped persons), but it also means to have access to different museum halls and to the terrace. The big hall of the museum, situated under the terrace, exhibits a vast number of documents : engravings, drawings, photographs, models and various original parts of projects (for example the elephant), the construction and the decoration of the Arch, as well as great events, for example the return of Napoleon's I ashes (the 15th of December 1840),Victor HUGO's dead guard (May 29th 1885), the march of the Victory (on July 14th 1919), the arrival of the unknown soldier (January 28th 1921), the homage to General de Gaulle on the grave of the unknown soldier in a released capital (August 26th 1944). The terrace allows/gives a splendid view of Paris, the Champs Elysées, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, the Dome des Invalides, and westwards the Arche de la Défense.
The Unknown Soldier The armistice, which puts an end to the First World war, is signed on November 11th 1918 in Rethondes (near Compiègne in Oise). Nevertheless the joy of the victory is plunged into mourning of 1 500 000 victims, for the majority very young. Soon in the small villages as well as in the big cities, monuments in memory of all the dead will be raised and in companies, in high schools and colleges commemorative plaques are carried out. On November 20th 1916, whereas the terrible Verdun battle is in the mind of everyone, F SIMON, President of the French Memory, has the idea to honour a soldier in the Panthéon, who like many others fought and died bravely for his fatherland. The project is finally adopted by the deputies on November 12th 1919. One year after, at the beginning of the month of November, the Parliament decides that the remainders of one of the unidentified soldiers, died during the war on the Field of Honour, will be buried under the Arc de Triomphe. Eight bodies of unidentified French soldiers, chosen among the different front sectors, are then transported in the Verdun citadel. November 10th 1920 at 3 p.m. the soldier Auguste THIN, son of a fighter, who died himself in the war, indicates by depositing a bunch of flowers on one of the coffins which will be carried to Paris. On November 1920, in the morning, after a ceremony at the Panthéon, the coffin is deposited in one of the halls of the Arc de Triomphe, arranged in a chapel of rest. On January 28th 1921, the coffin of the Unknown Soldier is buried in the centre of the principal arch, facing the Champs Elysées.
The Symbol of the flame Following the suggestion made early in 1921 by sculptor Gregory Calvet, then in October 1923 by the writer Gabriel BOISSY, the sacred flame under the Arc de Triomphe was lit for the first time November 11, 1923 to 18 hours by Andre Maginot, minister of war, while troops of the 5th RI presented arms as the band played Chopin's Funeral March." Since that date the flame was never extinct. Every evening at 6:30 p.m. the flame is revived by the representatives of the Association of Veterans or associations, whose good citizenship is recognized (such as the Red Cross). This ceremonial never stopped, not even during the occupation between 1940 and 1944. Obviously the Parisian high-school pupil and student, turn toward the flame and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, during the processions defying the occupant. The Flame under the Arc de Triomphe evokes also for some people the Flame of the Resistance, of which a certain Charles de Gaulle once used to talk. Nowadays, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Flame of Memory symbolize for all the French, but also for the tourists of the entire world, the sacrifice of all those who died on the battlefield. The Flame of Memory also symbolizes the tribute paid to those who gave their lifes, to make us live in a free country. Lastly, since the tragic days of the occupation, the symbol of the flame found an additional vocation, the one of hope in the future and faith in the destiny of our country.
The ceremony of the revival Since November 11th 1923, each evening at 6:30 p.m. the flame is revived by the representatives of the Association, following a planning established by the Committee of the Flame. A precise ceremonial takes place. Each day, at least two members of the Committee, are appointed to accommodate the Associations and organise the ceremony. The associations meet either at the crossroad Champs Elysées/ Balsac, or at the top of the Champs Elysées, or directly at the Arc the Triomphe, when the participants are not too many. They are then taken under the Arc de Triomphe. At the top, the flower carriers lead the procession, followed by flag holders and the members of the association. They reach their final destination by taking the principal alley of the Champs Elysées. The participants take position on both sides of the Holy Flagstone and the flag holders take place in a circle on the west side of the flagstone. Before the ceremony the Commissioner and the Service Guard set up the flag of "the Flame", the bugle and the drum of the Republican Guard. Lastly the Commissioner of the flame and the different Presidents of the Associations join the Flagstone, they ascent the alley accompanied by the the call "The Flame". he delegations are then invited to lay their wreath, then while placing themselves near the flame, the Commissioner gives the sword to the president, who is invited to make the gesture of the revival. The call "To the Deaths" resounds, the flags are inclined, followed by a minute of silence. When a military melody (or other) is played, the call "to the Death" is followed by the refrain of the Marseillaise. The president is accompanied by the authorities and together they sign the Golden Book, then of a fraternal gesture they greet the flag holders, the Commissioners of the Flame, the members of the Associations and the guests aligned along the Flagstone. Everybody unite at the foot of the tomb and the musicians play the anthem "Honour of the Unknown Soldier". Then they are accompanied by the Commissioner in service, whereas the music plays "the Flame". This ritual is the same even when the General, President of "the Flame under the Arc de Triomphe" is present. The delegations are then invited to sign the Golden Book.
Arc de Triomphe Place de l'étoile 75008 Paris Acces Métro Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (1, 2, 6) RER A Charles de Gaulle-Etoile

The Memorial is situated on the left bank of the Marne on a hill overlooking the river and the town of Dormans. When the plan to erect a large monument to remember all of the battles in Marne was confirmed, this site was chosen by Marshal Foch as a place that represented both battles. The building was made possible thanks to an association founded by Madame de la Rochefoucauld in 1919, overseen by the Cardinal of Reims and the Bishop of Châlons. A vast park with a chateau was purchased, and the first brick was laid on 18 July 1920. The building work, which took 10 years from 1921 to 1931, was funded by numerous donations, in particular those collected by the ‘national subscription’ in 1929 dubbed "four monuments day” (the association which became a charity, was recognised as a public interest organisation by presidential decree on 20 May 1932).

The impressive ensemble was designed by architects Marcel and Closson. A monumental staircase leads to a large square with a sundial and a viewpoint indicator that shows the names of the villages in the Marne Valley where the Battle of 1918 was fought. The square itself leads to a crypt that is overlooked by the church that boasts a bell tower and two ridge towers.

The inside of the chapel is entirely dedicated to the glory of the “soldiers, the army and the fatherland".

The stained-glass window in the choir represents Christ welcoming a soldier to symbolise all those who died during the Great War, presented to him by Joan of Arc and St Michael. On each side, angels intercede in his favour.

The stained-glass windows at the sides of the transept (by the renowned Lorin firm in Chartres) represent the patron saints of the different branches of the army.

The four columns standing on the crypt’s vaulted bases are decorated with sculptures depicting the four great invasions of France by the Huns, the Arabs, the English and the Germans, which were all contained (the Catalunian Plains in 451, Poitiers in 732, Orleans in 1429 and Dormans 1914-1918).

The 52-metre tower houses several bells, the largest weighing 304 kg. Beside the chapel is a cloister. Rather austere in appearance with its pointed arch, from the side it is attached to a funerary building housing the ossuary, close to a lantern tower for the dead. At its entrance, a medallion features the effigies of marshals Foch and Joffree, the two victors of the battles of the Marne, while the names of all the soldiers who fought in the battles are engraved in the wall plaques.

Inside the ossuary, the mortal remains of 1,332 French soldiers who fell between 1914 and 1918 are held in 130 coffins; only 11 of these men were identified. The funerary chamber also holds two urns: the first one contains earth taken from the cemetery in Italy where soldiers of the Free French Forces killed during the battles in 1943-1944 in Monte Cassino are buried; the other holds the ashes of deportees returned from Dachau in 1948.

Every year since 1993, during the Armistice commemorations, an official ceremony is held in the ossuary where a wreath given by the French President is laid by a delegate Senior Officer from the Elysée Palace.

Opening times

From 1 April to 11 November every day from 2-6 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 12 pm and 2-6 pm.

Contact

Dormans Tourist Information Office, Château de Dormans - 51700 DORMANS
Tel: +33 (0)3 26 53 35 86

Memorial secretariat: +33 (0)3 26 57 77 87

Memorial: +33 (0)3 26 59 14 18

Site du 90e anniversaire des batailles de la Marne

Office de tourisme de Dormans 

Source: MINDEF/SGA/DMPA - Vincent Konsler