Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)

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World Heritage Committee Description:

All along the Western Front of the First World War, which stretched for some 700 km from the North Sea to the Franco-Swiss border, a series of 139 funerary and memorial sites bear witness to the common desire of the various parties involved in the conflict to honour their children who fell in battle. This objective takes the form of individual graves and/or memorials listing the names of the missing. Places dedicated to meditation, remembrance and tributes are specially created. Beyond the diversity in size, location and design, there is a clear desire to create spaces that are worthy of the sacrifice made. This is reflected in the choice of noble materials, as well as in calls for renowned architects, botanists, landscape architects and artists to design sites of exceptional architectural, artistic and landscape quality. These sites are visited daily by pilgrims, individual visitors, official delegations, school groups, local community representatives and descendants. They bear witness to funerary and memorial practices that are still relevant today, as remains discovered by chance or during archaeological excavations are still buried there with all honours. These commemorative sites represent a heritage that almost literally belongs to the whole world, spreading a message of reconciliation that is still very topical.