France is a fertile and industrious land that has been coveted, occupied and pillaged by countless nations. It is a land of borders and for centuries ferocious battles regularly battered it.
From the inflexible grip of Julius Caesar, the battles of Agincourt to the madness of the Second World War the list is long.
In France today, the silence of remembrance replaces the conflict, the sound of fighting, the cries of the wounded and it is a country that pays homage to all those who fought so that France could stand proud.
France still bears many scars from the battles fought on her land. There are many relics and reminders, mainly from the last two world wars, varying from the bunkers converted to museums to Commonwealth War Graves, maintained in pristine condition.
There are of course the well-known sites in France that attract many thousands of visitors every year. People visit for various reasons – young and old, to pay respect, to study historical events, to remember.
There are sites and monuments paying homage to great French battlefield commanders from Joan of Arc to Napoloeon Bonaparte, from ancient battlefield sites such as Agincourt to more recent battles, from the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy to preserved trenches, craters and numerous military cemeteries from both World Wars.
Find out more about guided tours, books and websites dedicated to the sites of World War I, The Great War as the French call it, and World War II and other military sites.
