MUSEUM OF THE GREAT WAR OF THE COUNTRY OF MEAUX

This museum, inaugurated on November 11, 2011, has become one of the major sites in France on this subject, thanks to the centenary of the First World War. It is also a gateway to the Northeast of France and its places of memory. At the origin of the project, there was the collection of Jean-Pierre Verney, self-taught and specialist of the Great War. The collection of this Great War specialist was so interesting that two major museums - one in the United States, the other in Germany - wanted to acquire it. But the collection finally remained in France, becoming the property of the Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays de Meaux in 2005, and the museum serves as a showcase for it. It occupies a 16-hectare site, entirely landscaped, and the museum itself covers an area of 7,000 m², of which 3,000 m² is devoted to the permanent exhibition. Using multimedia and audiovisual means, the exhibition begins outside, with images of the battles of the Marne projected on the ground of the square. Once inside, the visit begins with a panoramic film giving an overview of the conflict, in its chronology. Then come the rooms where the conflict is placed in its geopolitical and social context, to get an idea of the state of mind that prevailed before the war. The main space, the Great Nave, exhibits the new technologies of the time, equipment and uniforms showing that the 1914-1918 war marked the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. It also serves several thematic rooms. Two trenches, one German, the other French, with their no man's land, are reconstituted in order to show the artillery and the daily life of the trenches. The conclusion of the permanent exhibition finally leads the visitor to the consequences of this unprecedented war until today. The Museum of the Great War in the Meaux region is above all a museum of history and society, witnessing the social, technical, military and geopolitical upheavals of this decisive period in the understanding of contemporary history. Note that the visit of the museum is perfectly adapted to families with children from 5 years old: booklets-games are available for the youngest and a family space, called "Welcome to the cantonment", offers to the latter to take a break in the visit by trying on uniforms, or by drawing; an attractive playful approach.