Memorial' 14-18
Memorial' 14-18
4.5
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
About
Standing at the foot of the hill of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Lens' 14-18 - Centre d'Histoire Guerre et Paix presents the Great War on the soil of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Designed by the architect Pierre-Louis Faloci, the contemporary building is structured around cubes of black concrete called "chapels". Employing innovative museographic techniques, this international interpretation centre exhibits an exceptional collection of iconographic documents (letters, archive photographs, contemporaneous films) and symbolic artefacts. Sourced from across the world, these documents reflect the viewpoint of all the protagonists of the conflict (French, German, British and others). Almost 400 photographs are on display in large format. Dynamic maps illustrate the various offensives and twenty or so archive films immerse the visitor in the First World War. The exhibition, created by the French historian Yves Le maner, sets out the key stages of the conflict in a chronological and thematic fashion: the war of movement and the trench system, the bloody offensives and the occupation of the Nord region, the 1918 offensives and death on the front, the ruins and the great reconstruction. A memorial space allows visitors to consult the records of 580,000 soldiers who are commemorated on the Ring of Remembrance, the International Memorial of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette inaugurated on 11 November 2014.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
114 reviews
Excellent
86
Very good
19
Average
5
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Glynn H
Nottingham, UK13 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
For anyone who knows little about WW1 this museum is perfect. Entrance is free with audio tours available in English for 3 euros. However, if you are happy to read everything all exhibits are translated into English. We came away with a much greater understanding of the horrors of this brutal war.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Starkreality
Scotland334 contributions
Oct 2017 • Family
Really excellent museum to give you an overview of WW1 and the Arras area.
Not too heavy with physical exhibits, but it chronologically it gives you an insight how WW1 played out.
Free museum and definitely worth visiting.
Reccomendation, leave your car here and walk up the hill to the close by French National Memorial. As you go up there are various interpretive boards that give you an insight of how the battlefield evolved etc.
Not too heavy with physical exhibits, but it chronologically it gives you an insight how WW1 played out.
Free museum and definitely worth visiting.
Reccomendation, leave your car here and walk up the hill to the close by French National Memorial. As you go up there are various interpretive boards that give you an insight of how the battlefield evolved etc.
Written 24 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LesleyScarborough
Scarborough, United Kingdom1,310 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
I can only echo what everyone else has said. This modern museum gives an excellent insight into the Great War in this area and it is most interesting to see from the French perspective. The interactive maps are particularly clear and helpful and the many large, well-lit photos demonstrate what it was like to live in an occupied country. The maps give an excellent idea of how the war developed and I only wish I'd devoted more time to being in this museum in our itinerary. If you are visiting the area come here first because it cannot fail to increase your understanding of what happened. There's no admission charge and a huge car park, reached along a road to the right of the museum. It's slap bang opposite the entrance to Notre Dame de Lorette and close to the pleasant little village of Souchez which, unusually for the area, had several bakers and cafes that appeared to be open and willing to cater for visitors. I urge you to visit!
Written 20 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathy Melucci
Plymouth, UK29 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
If you enjoy reading a lot of text then you’ll love this but if like me you prefer artefacts that bring events to life, then you won’t be impressed. I found this a soulless building. We were the only ones there. Visited many other far superior museums on this trip such as Peronne. Just my opinion.
Written 2 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
colin g
Cliffsend, UK1,114 contributions
Nov 2017 • Friends
Its free,which is important and what there is is very interesting, but having visited a number of private museums nearby it lacks alot of what they have provided such as exhibits from that era.
Written 24 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PurleyRoamer
Purley17 contributions
Oct 2016 • Friends
Right in the heart of the front line of the 1914-18 war, this new museum brings a sense of chronology to the conflict. Visiting the various cemeteries and the French necropolis at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette is chilling, but to appreciate what happened here over four years of war, most viositors need a bit of help.
This museum is in a beautiful modernist grey concrete building that is surrounded by clipped hedges, and blends smoothly into the landscape. The exhibition looks at various themes of the war, including mobile warfare, trenches, the offensives, the occupation of the Nord region, and death at the front.
You get a historical perspective of how the war, at first fast and mobile, got bogged down in the trenches, and how desperate the offensives became in trying to break the deadlock. It is also clear how close the Allies came to losing the war in the first few months, especially as The Race to the Sea threatened to cut thier forces in two.
The exhibits include a lot of new photographs, taken from the German archives, and even some film footage. The photos are well captioned in French and English.
This museum is in a beautiful modernist grey concrete building that is surrounded by clipped hedges, and blends smoothly into the landscape. The exhibition looks at various themes of the war, including mobile warfare, trenches, the offensives, the occupation of the Nord region, and death at the front.
You get a historical perspective of how the war, at first fast and mobile, got bogged down in the trenches, and how desperate the offensives became in trying to break the deadlock. It is also clear how close the Allies came to losing the war in the first few months, especially as The Race to the Sea threatened to cut thier forces in two.
The exhibits include a lot of new photographs, taken from the German archives, and even some film footage. The photos are well captioned in French and English.
Written 18 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Graham C
Clyde, New Zealand17 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
We visited this museum as part of a wider tour we were doing on New Zealand actions in WW1.
It is new and the linking of technology with artefacts to tell the stories is excellent.
I would strongly recommend making the effort to visit
It is new and the linking of technology with artefacts to tell the stories is excellent.
I would strongly recommend making the effort to visit
Written 31 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marc H
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK4 contributions
Oct 2015 • Business
This is new, not very well known, museum in the heart of the French/ German Battlefields. It's a fantastic little Gem. Museum was built to represent a Dark Room as the excellent photographs inside are developing with each room you visit. The five rooms are very informative with interactive maps charting and progressing within the Battles of the Artois and Vimy Ridge. You can see the hardware and conditions these Soldiers fought with and lived in. The bonus, apart from the 5* toilets, is the end room has touch screen computers you can trace soldiers who were killed or missing in the Pas de Calais region. These Soldiers are represented up at the Ring of Rememberance on the Lorette Spur. Staff are very helpful and friendly and the little souvenir shop on the way out makes this a perfect accompaniment to any Batrlefield Tour.
Written 7 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Blueox_rl
Roermond, The Netherlands31 contributions
Sept 2015
This is a very new museum. In its layout, the designers have well taken into consideration a mix of new and old media to deliver the information about WWI in the area. There are interactive maps, videos, old films interspersed with period items, photographs and written descriptions. It is not overwhelming or cluttered. The story is accurate and detailed. The staff introduced themselves when we arrived, and after we had finished asked about our experience. Thanks to the combination of written and visual media, I finally grasped what was meant by "the race to the sea" and "war of movement". I also learned why the Lens area was so important and heavily contested. I've visited numerous WWI museums, and I would rate this one in the top 5. I will definitely visit again when next in the area.
Written 30 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheSELondoners
London, UK31 contributions
Sept 2015 • Family
This museum really ought to be on the itinerary of anyone visiting the area or wanting to find out more about the WWI battles in Northern France. The museum is set out in four rooms and sets out the chronology of the Great War, both the battles and the human impact to the soldiers and the local civilians. It employs insightful reconstruction, photographs and items to draw you in the the history.
Written 25 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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