Cemeteries to visit France

Gorged with the blood of thousands of American soldiers, the Meuse naturally welcomed a vast 56-hectare necropolis in 1918. To the east of the village of Romagne-sur-Montfaucon (40 km from Verdun), this cemetery, owned by the US government, has 14,246 marble crosses. 486 graves contain unknown remains, while the walls of the chapel are engraved with the names of 954 soldiers who disappeared during the fighting. Like all American memorial sites, the site, which is also the largest in Europe (for the First World War), respects beautiful proportions and a linearity that suits the solemnity of the place. Since 2016, the sumptuous residence overlooking the cemetery has been home to an interpretation centre, which provides visitors with an immersive experience through the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The building's entrance has been designed according to the codes in effect during the 1920s, in order to recreate the atmosphere that grieving families found when they visited. A memorial room is dedicated to the history of the cemetery. Using the interactive screen, you can flip through the digitized record of the very first visitors to the site. You will also discover a part of the military history, the ins and outs of the American intervention in 14-18, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the daily life of the soldiers during the fighting, the equipment used on the front. A giant screen projects a film combining period images and historical reconstructions.

In the Middle Ages, Menton Castle stands at the top of Colla Hill hill, 78 m above sea level. Very experienced for nearly three centuries, the site will finally be abandoned in 1650. The remains of the castle were acquired by the commune of Menton in 1807: the place is then turned into a graveyard. The burials of the mentonnaises families surround those of the foreign colonies. Composed of superimposed terraces, each is assigned to a particular religion or nationality. In these places, the famous architect Tersling built most of the beautiful mansions of the late th century in the region, but also the inventor of Rugby Webb, as well as a few Russian princes with famous names such as Troubetzkoï or Volkonski. The mausoleum of the Polish Princess Janina Jelowickich Lewandowska is certainly the most beautiful of the old cemetery: the statue that dominates it represents the flight of a young woman out of her casket. From the cemetery, beautiful views of the old town, the sea and the coast, from Cape Martin to Mortola point in Italy.