No pun intended – I was blown away by the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy in France. With an amazing memorial with quite possibly the most beautiful setting I have ever seen, a fantastic visitor center, landscape that demonstrates the power of the great war, and an incredible experience walking through actual trenches and tunnels, this may be one of the most powerful historical places I have ever visited.
The massive memorial is perched on the top of Vimy Ridge, the location of a Canadian battle in 1917. Over 80 years old, it is immense, incredibly symbolic, and one of the most picturesque memorials I have seen. I first caught a glimpse of it driving into our Arras the previous night and was struck how it almost erupts out of a hill in the countryside. After finding out more about the symbolism at the visitor center, I was impressed even more about the service of Canadians in the Great War and their county’s commitment to remembering and honoring them. The memorial is surrounded by the battlefield, covered with shell holes and craters and still full of unexploded ordinance. It adds and additional component of both beauty and fear to the experience. Plus, it's amazing to visit when nobody else is there in the morning – except a flock of sheep.
The visitor center at Vimy is brand-new, opening in April of this year for the 100th anniversary of the Canadians success at the ridge. The visitor center has some beautiful imagery, great audio of primary sources from Canadian military personnel, and awesome college students from Canada running the show. The real historical treat is outside the visitor center, where the actual trenches of the battle have been restored, providing a major highlight of my trip and a bonus for my students. The trenches have been fortified with cement sand bags and gravel duckboards , so there's definitely some more permanence than what the Canadians experienced a century ago – even though the built them over a period of months in 1916. Navigating the trenches while being surrounded by actual craters left from the battle is almost indescribable for a history nerd. To top it off, Vimy has a series of tunnels that were used to transport materials and in some cases troops from different trench lines. My guided tour of these tunnels was about as cool of an experience I will have on the Western front. I knew very little about the tunnel systems, and to walk through them is truly walking in the footsteps of history – those are actually the words that my guide Lauren used, and I had to smile.
I didn't want to leave Vimy that morning – in fact, I'm sad to think that I will never probably visit this incredible historical treasure again. If I were suggesting an immersive and powerful World War I site on the Western front, the Canadian National Park would be at the top of my list. I can go back virtually - you can too!
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AuthorChuck Taft ArchivesCategories |