European Heritage Days 2021 at the Musée de la Grande Guerre in Meaux (77)

For the Journées du Patrimoine, the Musée de la Grande Guerre will be opening its doors free of charge on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September 2023.

Since its creation in 2011, the Musée de la Grande Guerre has taken part in the annual Heritage Days. For this 40th edition, curious visitors are invited to join us on September 16 and 17, 2023, to learn more about the history of the First World War, thanks to original collections carefully preserved by the museum team.

Through a chronological and thematic tour, suitable for children aged 7 and over, the museum helps us to understand how the world was toppled into this Great War, and how this conflict totally changed the face of the world, with its duration and violence of rare intensity.

This museum in the town of Meaux is dedicated to the First World War, with nearly 70,000 historical objects and interactive displays. This extensive collection is largely the result of research by Jean-Pierre Verney, a historian specializing in the Great War. Photographs, statues, military equipment, paintings, propaganda material, soldiers' uniforms... The museum's exhibition spaces explore the human, military and technical upheavals caused by this war, from the viewpoints of different nations.

For the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days), the Musée de la Grande Guerre de Meaux is opening its doors free of charge to all visitors, and is preparing a range of activities for us to enjoy throughout the weekend.

On the Heritage Days program at the Musée de la Grande Guerre:

10:30 am and 2 pm: "Behind the scenes at the museum" tour
Guided by a member of the conservation department, gain exceptional access to the museum's storerooms, where the 70,000 objects and documents in the collection are kept.
10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.: guided tour of the exhibition "Infirmières, Héroïnes silencieuses de la Grande Guerre"
An immersive and captivating retrospective of the lives of these exceptional women! The aim of the exhibition is to describe the commitment and participation of nurses among the health-care personnel mobilized on the fronts, but also in the rear among the civilian population.
11 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Theater in the museum!
Discover the museum as you've never seen it before! Actors from the Barefoot company, in residence at the Musée de la Grande Guerre, guide you through the various rooms of the museum, bringing to life a series of sketches telling the story of a couple caught up in the turmoil of war.
Guided tours must be booked in advance on the museum's website.
Self-guided tours throughout the day without reservation:
Access to the museum's temporary exhibition and permanent collections, as well as the temporary exhibition "Soldats sportifs: pratiques sportives dans l'armée française de 1914 à nos jours" on the museum forecourt.