President Macron will meet Chancellor Merkel of Germany at Compiègne, and also tour regions of France devastated by the First World War as part of nationwide events marking the 100th anniversary of the Armistice in 1918.
On the eve of the Centenary, the French and German leaders will take part in a ‘simple ceremony of reflection and homage’ in the forest clearing where the ceasefire was signed, Mission Centenaire 14-18 says.
The Arc de Triomphe will be the focus for international remembrance on November 11, with more than 100 countries due to be represented at the Armistice Day Service.
France’s programme for the end of the WW1 Centenary was announced in the central city of Clermont Ferrand, an important industrial hub for the war effort.
Events commemorating the ceasefire will be taking place in towns and cities across the country, including Strasbourg (returned to France after Germany’s defeat in 1918), Reims, Compiègne and Meaux.
Vigil
In Artois, an illuminated eve-of-Armistice vigil, La Grande Veillée will be held at the main military cemeteries on November 10 to remember all those who fell in this region of Northern France. Sites include CWGC Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery in Arras.
A special open-air exhibition, Immersion 14-18, will open as part of the Centenary programme at Les Invalides in Paris on October 29.
In run-up to the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, President Macron will visit six areas of France caught up in the Great War, from Alsace to the Somme.
An international peace forum will also open in Paris on November 11,
In his foreword to the closing Centenary programme, the French leader says this year’s commemorations reflect not only on the terrible losses of the past, but also ‘reaffirm a powerful and deep desire for peace’.
See Mission Centenaire 14-18 for details of the Armistice programme, and a summary of more than 2,100 Centenary projects in 2018. There’s also a video.
Also in Centenary News:
New Zealand events in France commemorating liberation of Le Quesnoy.
France & Germany to hold Youth for Peace conference in Berlin.
Source: Mission Centenaire 14-18
Images: Centenary News
Posted by: CN Editorial Team