REMEMBRANCE TOURISM GUIDE 2020


Péronne’s Historial de la Grande Guerre provides superbly informative visits


the various regiments of the German Imperial Army. In 2018, the museum was updated at great expense and it’s now 40 per cent larger. www.lamarne14-18.com https://musees-reims.fr/fr/musees/ musee-du-fort-de-la-pompelle/


The Historial de La Grande Guerre Museums at Péronne and Thiepval


Vignacourt became an important military base located behind Allied lines during the Great War. In the village lived Louis and Antoinette Thuillier, both farmers who loved new technologies and


owned their own camera, which was rare in the early 20th century. Both civilians and soldiers would come to the farmhouse to have their photographs taken. When the war ended, the photographic plates were stored in the attic and forgotten about for over a century. They now form the Thuillier collection, a truly unique set of photographs.


Vignacourt 14|18 Ferme Thuillier 196 rue d’Amour - 80650 Vignacourt


Set in the old castle and with beautiful lakeside gardens, the museum at Péronne in the Somme is a great place to fi nd out about the political, military and social background to the Great War. Its sister museum at Thiepval, near the monument, is devoted to the battles of the Somme and offers invaluable context to the British and South African memorial here. www.historial.fr


USEFUL INFORMATION


• Tickets from 2€ - 5€ • Annual pass: 20€ • Opening times High season (Apr - Oct) Tuesday to Friday: 10am- 6pm Saturday & Sunday: 2pm-6pm Low season (November to March) Tuesday to Saturday: 1.30pm - 5pm


• Closed in December & January & 1st May


• Bookings required for groups


+33 (0)6 73 69 55 49 • vignacourt1418@gmail.com www.vignacourt1418.com 140 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2020


Musée Vignacourt 14-18 In the village of Vignacourt, keen photographers Louis and Antoinette Thuillier


immortalised their meetings with soldiers from all over the world on their farm. They took over 4,000 glass plate photographs between 1916 and 1918, which were stored in the farm attic and forgotten about, until now. At the museum, you can discover the poignant stories behind individual portraits in this very human First World War story. www.vignacourt1418.com


See also Musée de la Somme


rue Anicet Godin, 80300, Albert www.musee-somme-1916.eu


Centre d’Interprétation Marne


51600 Suippes www.marne14-18.fr


MEMORIALS, CEMETERIES AND OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST Mémorial de Verdun Located on the Verdun battlefi eld, this is a memorial site and military museum. Displaying weaponry, medical equipment, photographs and recreated trenches, the museum provides multimedia tours. Also providing tourist advice on discovering the area, it’s a good starting point for exploring all the region’s other battlefi elds and museums. http://memorial-verdun.fr


Douaumont Fort


This is the tallest of the 19 forts built following the Franco- Prussian War to protect nearby Verdun from attacks. With accompanying barracks – including dormitories to accommodate 635 soldiers, an on-site bakery and water tank – the building was constantly modernised and fortifi ed in the years leading up to 1914. Plaques commemorate those who lost their lives here and tell the story of the fort’s capture, as well as its later recapture by French troops. www.meusetourism.com


Douaumont Ossuary Located beside the largest military cemetery in the region dedicated solely to the French, with 16,142 graves, is a stone


IMAGE ©PASCAL BRUNET


INCREDIBLE SELECTION OF WAR


PHOTOGRAPHY


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