France Guide
Normandy
The Caen Memorial
Telephone: 02.31.06.06.44
Website: www.memorial-caen.fr
Price: March– Sept €17.50, Oct– Feb €16.50, tickets valid for 24hr
Address: End of avenue Marshal-Montgomery in the Folie Couvrechef area
Opening time: Jan 2–5 & Jan 29 to Feb 10 & 12 Nov to 31 Dec 9.30am–6pm, Feb 11 to Nov 11 9am–7pm
Just north of Caen, the Caen Memorial, which describes itself as a "museum for peace", stands on a plateau named after General Eisenhower on a clifftop beneath which the Germans had their HQ in June and July 1944.
The museum is a typically French high-tech, novel-architecture conception, with excellent displays divided into several distinct sections; allow two hours at the very least for a visit. The first section deals with the rise of fascism in Germany, the next with resistance and collaboration in France, while a third charts all the major battles of World War II. Most of the captions, though not always the written exhibits themselves, are translated into English. Further areas examine the course of the Cold War and the prospects for global peace, with the former German bunkers below housing the Nobel Peace Prize Winners' Gallery. In addition to the permanent displays, there are also regular temporary exhibitions which often extend the focus into the personal realm or the modern day; recent topics include "The Righteous in France" and "World Trade Centre: a global moment". There's also a good-value self-service restaurant upstairs. The memorial is served by bus #2 from the "Tour le Roi" stop in the centre of town.