As befits a memorial, this museum in Caen is full of solemnity and sorrow. Wars cost mankind dearly, especially the last and the bloodiest one. All the hardships of the occupation Caen had during the war were complemented by the severities of the 1944 liberation. Landings of Allied troops and one of the most brutal battles of the Second World War were very close to the city, on the shores of the English Channel. As a result, 40% of the city's buildings were destroyed by artillery and aircraft, and several tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed. The Memorial of Caen is primarily an anti-fascist museum. Its main idea is to show what wars, armed conflicts, and terrorist attacks imply and why the peace is so fragile.

The museum is on the outskirts of the city, right where the headquarters of the fascist troops and the bunker of General Richter used to be located. You can get there by a city bus, or rent a bike (the memorial is 5 kilometers away from the center of Caen).

The entrance to the museum is adorned with the flagpoles of the twelve countries that took part in Operation Overlord. The two large flat buildings are divided into themed sectors inside. The multimedia space uses circular panoramas, documentary chronicles, audio, models, maps to guide the visitor through various features of the war, like hostilities, occupation, forms of resistance, evacuation, the Holocaust. The reproduction of a tank attack shown in a special small room makes a particular impression on visitors. With the help of 3D glasses, they can, as if through the eyes of a soldier from a trench, look at the rumbling monster looming right above them. A separate exposition is devoted to D-Day, the day of Normandy landings of Allied troops, and the subsequent liberation of Normandy.

The memorial is surrounded by many sculptures dedicated to the idea of ​​peace. One of the most famous statues is Non-Violence, a revolver with a knotted barrel. There are also gardens of nations, symbolizing the common efforts of all peoples in the struggle for peace. The Memorial of Caen is part of international Peace museums. It is visited by more than half a million people a year. As the exposition is very large, it is better to set 4-5 hours for a visit. You can also join a tour of the landing sites of the Allied troops.