Footsteps of WWII · Normandy
Caen Memorial (Mémorial de Caen)
Museum · Jun–Jul 1944
The story
Caen was a D-Day objective for the British, but it took until July to clear the city. Montgomery's offensives around it, including Epsom, Charnwood and Goodwood, drew in most of the German armour in Normandy. Bombing and shelling destroyed much of the city and killed many civilians. The Mémorial, opened by President Mitterrand on 6 June 1988, stands in the northern suburbs over a former German bunker. It is a large museum of the twentieth century, covering the road to war, the Second World War, the landings and Battle of Normandy, and the Cold War, with an emphasis on peace and reconciliation.
What to look for
A large modern building with several permanent exhibitions and films; allow at least half a day. Outside are memorial gardens to the Americans, British and Canadians. Below, part of the German underground bunker can be visited.
Plan your visit
Open daily (Jan–Mar 09:00–18:00, Apr–Sep 09:00–19:00, Oct–Dec 09:30–18:00, closed Wednesdays in Nov–Dec except holidays); closed three weeks in January, 25 Dec and 1 Jan. Adult about €20.80. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Pegasus Bridge and Memorial Pegasus · 9 km
- Hill 112, Esquay-Notre-Dame · 10 km
- Sword Beach and the Grand Bunker, Ouistreham · 14 km
- Merville Battery · 16 km
- Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer · 16 km
- Arromanches: Mulberry harbour and D-Day Museum · 23 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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