On September 20, UNESCO listed 139 funeral and memorial sites from the First World War spread across Flanders, Wallonia, North and North-East France as world heritage sites. The French sites are mainly located in Hauts-de-France and the Grand Est.
This World Heritage listing should undoubtedly give a new spotlight to these memorial sites which embody the horror of the First World War, leaving 10 million dead from 130 countries, and 20 million amputees, according to data. provided by the French Ministry of Culture.
The two countries had carried out joint work to defend this inscription. Among these sites, we can cite the German cemetery of Apremont in the Ardennes, the necropolis and ossuary of La Gruerie in Saint-Thomas in Argonne or the memorial of Dormans, in the Marne.
More or less well-known names appear on the list, such as the Commonwealth Cemetery in Lijssenthoek (Poperinge), the Tyne Cot Cemetery (Zonnebeke) and the Menin Gate in Ypres, with the engraving of the names of 55,000 fallen soldiers. of the Commonwealth.
More details on:
https://www.pasdecalais.fr/Actualites/Actualite-Conseil-departemental/Inscription-au-Patrimoine-mondial-de-l-UNESCO-des-sites-funeraires-et-memoriels-de-la-Premiere-guerre- world-Western Front
