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Between Sept. 20-29, seven American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries welcomed nearly 1,350 visitors during European Heritage Days.
From the U.K. to France, the sites organized tours and workshops dedicated to this year’s theme “the heritage of routes, networks, and connections.”
What happened at our sites
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, a World War I cemetery, located an hour away from Paris, had more than 200 visitors for their four, one-hour guided tours of the site. They even welcomed an unannounced next-of-kin visit during the weekend.
Visitors following a tour at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. Credits: American Battle Monuments CommissionAt Cambridge American Cemetery, a World War II cemetery located in the U.K., approximately 200 visitors attended the 11 sessions offered in partnership with Open Cambridge.
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Montfaucon Monument located not far away from Verdun, France, and honoring service members from World War I, received approximately 75 visitors for their tours and interpretive talks.
Normandy American Cemetery, a World War II site, overlooking Omaha Beach, France, welcomed approximately 330 visitors during the European Heritage Days, including 174 for their workshop called “Come & Retrace the History of the Normandy American Cemetery” presented by Normandy American Cemetery’s staff members.
By the end of this three-day event, the Normandy American Cemetery team realized that the 174 visitors who attended the workshop traveled over 47,000 kilometers (nearly 30,000 miles) to come and join this collective journey.
St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Montsec Monument, two World War I sites located between Metz and Nancy, France, organized guided tours and displayed photos at Montsec Monument to show the faces of the service members who died in the area. Those events attracted approximately 550 visitors. St. Mihiel American Cemetery even dedicated one day to local schools to present the professions available at the cemetery.
The European Heritage Days were a great opportunity for our teams on site to create tours and workshops for visitors. These special events raised interest in the history of the site as well as in the personal stories of the men and women we commemorate every day.
