Mémorial de Caen – A Museum Dedicated to Peace

All About The D-Day Landing and the Battle for Caen at the Caen Memorial :

Mémorial de Caen, Normandy

The town of Caen in Normandy saw a lot of action during World War II, a war which reduced Europe to a rubble.  During the Normandy invasion and the one hundred days of fierce battle, Caen found itself at the centre stage of this battle.

As one of the largest cities in Normandy and with its position astride the Orne River and Caen Canal, Caen became a strategic target for the Allied Forces during the D-Day Landings.

A Museum Dedicated to Peace

Caen suffered heavy bombings during the summer of 1944 and much of the city was destroyed.  To underline its commitment to peace, the town built the Mémorial de Caen (Caen Memorial) in June 1988, in which archive records and documentaries provide accounts of the war from all fronts. This peace project earned Caen the UNESCO “City of Peace” award in 1999.

In this museum dedicated to peace, visitors can learn about World War II history and the events of D-Day Landings are played out, using a host of inter-active and audio-visual techniques. You can also watch films on “D Day” and “Battle of Normandy”.

The Caen Memorial is an award-winning museum and a must visit for anyone interested in the World War II history and the Cold War. And, even if you’ve visited it before, new exhibits are being added all the time providing new insights into the many aspects of the Second World War and the Cold War.  Some of the the 2009 and 2010 additions include:

Mémorial de Caen, Normandy

• In January 2010, a new area was created which is devoted to the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy, a crucial episode leading to the Liberation of Europe. Here you’ll find a large section that’s dedicated to accounts provided by witnesses, both civilians and soldiers, who lived through the hellish Battle of Normandy.

• A new permanent area devoted to the understanding of the use of press cartoons to drive the messages for  world peace, the defence of human rights, ecological threats, different forms of censorship, etc.

• A new section showing objects and films from the Cold War period. It is the only museum in France to have on display comprehensive records of the period from 1945 to 1989.  Visitors can get a glimpse of what life was like before and after the Berlin Wall and how Europe was divided into the Eastern and Western bloc.

The Mémorial de Caen offers various tours of the Museum, the D Day Landing beaches and of the medieval estate of Bayeux, which you can book online.

See Caen and the Normandy Beaches with Travelsignposts
Book Caen Sightseeing Tours and Normandy Battlefield Tours with Viator

Address:

Le Mémorial de Caen,
Esplanade Général Eisenhower B.P. 55026
14050 Caen Cedex 4
www.memorial-caen.fr

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