WWI Museum Opens Near Paris this Fall

On November 11, 2011, the Museum of the Great War in Meaux (le Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux) will open its doors in the presence of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Dedicated to showcasing different aspects of the WWI period, the museum will display a vast selection of objects and documents to illustrate daily life during this period. A project that has been in the works since 2005, the museum aims represent French national memory and to be regarded as a leading cultural and historical center within France and all of Europe.

Thanks to the collection of First World War specialist Jean-Pierre Verney and to the town of Meaux, the museum will display and preserve unique war objects while unveiling the area’s local history and its impact on all of France. Exhibiting 50,000 objects, including 200 complete uniforms, armory and souvenirs from soldiers, the museum will illustrate how French society has evolved as well as how it has been affected by WWI, with a focus on the first battle of the Marne.

Verney explained that his collection on display “expresses emotion, lassitude, anger, pride, separation, and a large part of the visible or obscured facets of the event.”

The museum is located at the foot of the U.S. monument commemorating the Battles of the Marne of 1914 and 1918. Acknowledging and honoring the pivital role of the huge American expeditionary force in ending WWI, there will be a special exhibition space entirely dedicated to the U.S. and its “Doughboys.”

The museum will feature a temporary exhibition space, an auditorium, theatre, café, bookshop and resource center with over 6,000 documents.

Read the full press release here: http://www.museedelagrandeguerre.eu/sites/default/files/press_release_musee_de_la_grande_guerre_en_04.04.2011.pdf