Editor Pick
The Caen Memorial, A Museum for Peace
- December 9, 2005
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Ed Hahn from Hong Kong, China
We drive and discover it is very easy to find since it's just off the ring-road freeway (périphérique nord) in Caen exit (sortie) #7. We just follow the signs to the Memorial. The parking lot is packed but there is in a distant grassy area. Aside from the fact that it’s a holiday, I discover later that this is the second most visited museum in France after the Louvre.
The setting is beautiful and the building is impressive. Because of crowds, we stand in line for 30 minutes to enter the exhibit area. The exhibits are magnificent, covering the complete history of WW II including the pre-war events leading to the conflict and the phony war, the occupation, the holocaust and the liberation of Normandy and France. It puts the events of D-Day in a world-wide perspective.
The first section is a downward spiral walk tracing the destructive path Europe followed from the end of World War I to the rise of fascism to World War II. The design creates a bottleneck, though, because the linear set-up backs everyone up like a traffic jam on a road with no exits. One person’s interest becomes everyone else’s delay. Once through this area, though, things open up.
The lower level looks at how World War II was fought. It covers France during the war and is brutally honest about France’s failures and suffering - this in contrast to the WW II section of the Musee d’Armee in Paris. A large area is devoted to the global aspects of the conflict and the impact of industry and technology on the outcome. D-Day is covered by exhibits including a recently opened one of letters and diaries. A multi media presentation, “The Battle of Normandy,” creatively uses a split-screen to show the 70 days of conflict from both a military and civilian point of view.
In three hours we haven’t covered even half the museum so we stop for lunch in spite of the daunting queues. The cafeteria and restaurant have excellent food. After lunch, we visit exhibits covering the Cold War, and the “Hope Exhibit,” in the Hall of Peace. The arrangement is a bit confusing but the “Hope” multi-media presentation is wonderful. The next section of the museum celebrates the peacemakers in the Gallery of Nobel Peace Prizewinners.
The museum also displays remains from the NYC 9/11 attacks. They’re at the East end of the building. We are running out of steam but we find the energy to visit the U.S. Memorial Garden, The Canadian Memorial and the newly-opened British Gardens, inaugurated June 5, 2004 by Prince Charles.
In summary, I would compare this museum favorably with the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. The exhibits are impressive, well planned and artistic but the museum could be a little more user-friendly.
A normal ticket costs €18, but there are numerous concessions. Photos are not allowed.
From journal Historic, Beautiful, and Brave Normandy