WWI Fast Facts

Press release

WHAT IT IS

The commemorations for the centenary of the First World War were an opportunity for France to promote Northern France into historical destinations.

2013 : Five regions, crossed by the front line, gathered together and signed a destination contract « Great War Centenary »

Development of one strategy, a visual identity towards a common communication universe: destination of « The Western Front 14-18 » formed by these five regions From Nord-Pas de Calais to Alsace, passing by Picardie, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine

Significant economic benefits were observed in 2014 with more than 11 million of visitors in the remembrance sites that hosted at last more than 10.000 visitors. The benefits for the territories continued to be observed in 2015 and 2016, key year for major commemorations of the Battles of the Somme and Verdun.

2018 will mark the end of the commemorations of the centennial.

Partners – Local Authorities Hauts-de-France region Somme Department Aisne Department Oise Tourisme Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine Meuse Department Vosges Front

LOCATION

Two regions located in North East of France: Hauts de France (Northern France and Picardy) and Grand Est.

HISTORY (US troops and key dates)

The First World War was a key event in the history of the United States. Initially anxious to maintain a certain distance from the war raging in Europe, the USA finally entered the fray alongside the Entente powers, to whom it brought significant military and financial aid from 1917 onwards. France has preserved the memory of individual American volunteers from the beginning of the war in 1914 and that of the sites are chock-full of history, former battlefields that today have become places for peace and commemoration. Sammies in 1917 and 1918, all of whom fought alongside the French on their home soil. The country also remembers their participation in the victorious counter-offensives in Picardy, Champagne and the Lorraine, which culminated in the armistice of November 1918. The memory of the 126,000 Americans who lost their lives on our soil still resonates today at the Belleau Wood cemetery, in the Aisne, and in the contemplative setting of the American cemetery at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon.

TOP 6 REMEMBRANCE SITES

The Ring of Remembrance / Montsec Memorial / American Monument at Montfaucon d’Argonne / Aisne-Marne American cemetery at Belleau / Cantigny American Memorials, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery--the largest American military cemetery in Europe

Contact

Marion Fourestier
Atout France-The France Tourism Development Agency
New York, 10022
United States