World War One Sites

World War One sites : Editor's Picks

• 1. Somme battlefields
  Incorporating several World War One sites, these battlefields are the locations at which the infamous Battle of the Somme was fought from July to November 1916. The Battle of the Somme was renowned for the exceptionally high number of casualties borne by the Allied forces.
  

• 2. Fort Douaumont
  Built following the Franco-Prussian wars, this fort acted as a shelter for locals during the Battle of Verdun. However, in the confusion, it was soon captured and destroyed by the Germans. Today, it remains one of the least changed of the World War 1 sites, with visitors able to see it as it was at the end of the war.
  Photo by Wolfgang Staudt (cc)

• 3. Lochnagar Crater
  This is one of the more vivid of World War I sites, it being the vast crater left behind by one of the first mine explosions of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916.
  
  
  Photo by sisaphus (cc)

• 4. Anzac Cove
  One of the most important World War 1 sites of the Gallipoli Campaign in Turkey, Anzac Cove was where Australian and New Zealander troops landed on 25 April 1915. Today, it is home to numerous war memorials.
  
  Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D. (cc)

• 5. Menin Gate
  This is a famous monument is one of the most significant World War 1 sites in Ypres and is a memorial to the British and Commonwealth troops who went missing in action in Belgium during this conflict.
  
  Photo by R/DV/RS (cc)

World War One sites: Site Index

• Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
  This World War One site is a cemetery on the location of the Battle of Belleau Wood (1-26 June 1918), where American marines prevented German forces from crossing the Marne River, thus securing the area.
  Photo by jinterwas (cc)

• Ari Burnu Cemetery
  This Commonwealth military graveyard is the burial site of 252 soldiers who died in the Gallipoli campaign.
  

• Arlington National Cemetery
  This famous US military cemetery commemorates all American soldiers who died for their country and is also the site of the Tomb of the Unknowns, one of whom is an unidentified soldier from World War I.
  Photo by pastorbuhro (cc)

• Bucharest Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
  The Bucharest Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a national Romanian World War I monument.
  Photo by Horia Varlan (cc)

• Canadian National War Memorial
  The Canadian National War Memorial commemorates losses from World War I, World War II and the Korean War.
  Photo by detsang (cc)

• Canadian War Museum
  The Canadian War Museum is the national military history museum.
  Photo by jaycross (cc)

• Chateau-Thierry American Monument
  One of the main American World War 1 sites, the Chateau-Thierry American Monument commemorates US soldiers who fought in this war. A grand memorial, it overlooks the River Marne, site of two important battles.
  Photo by NorthJoe (cc)

• Cimetière Chinois de Nolette
  One of the lesser known World War 1 sites, Cimetière Chinois de Nolette is home to the graves of 849 Chinese workers who perished in the “Great War”.
  

• College Park Aviation Museum
  This is a museum of the history of aviation, including that of World War One.
  Photo by cliff1066™ (cc)

• Douaumont Ossuary
  This vast memorial, museum and cemetery commemorates those soldiers who lost their lives in the fierce Battle of Verdun (21 February 1916-December 1916). This site is home to the bones of 130,000 unknown soldiers.
  Photo by ** Maurice ** (cc)

• Dunkirk Cemetery and Memorial
  Whilst Dunkirk is usually associated with World War Two, this cemetery contains the graves of soldiers from both this conflict and WWI.
  

• Endless Column Complex
  The Endless Column Complex is a set of three sculptures commemorating Romania’s war heroes from World War One.
  Photo by Public Domain Photos (cc)

• Etaples Military Cemetery
  The Etaples Military Cemetery is a commonwealth cemetery built on the former site of a WW1 military hospital.
  Photo by Charles D P Miller (cc)

• Fort Vaux
  Situated just outside Verdun, this nineteenth century fort was famously defended by French forces in the Battle of Verdun before falling to the Germans. It would be returned to the French later that same year.
  Photo by Ryan Scott (cc)

• Grey Point Fort
  Grey Point Fort is a WWI era coastal defence battery and one of the best preserved early 20th century coastal forts anywhere in the British Isles.
  Photo by Stubacca (cc)

• Hill 60 Cemetery
  Located in the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, this Commonwealth Graves Commission cemetery is one of the World War One sites for those solider who died in the Gallipoli Campaign.
  

• Hill 62 Sanctuary Wood Museum
  The Hill 62 Sanctuary Wood Museum contains an impressive partially-restored WWI trench system as well as artefacts and images from the site.
  Photo by amandabhslater (cc)

• Historial de la Grande Guerre
  Within reach of the World War I sites of the Battle of the Somme, this museum looks at the social and cultural effects of the Great War.
  Photo by yannick_vernet (cc)

• Imperial War Museum
  The Imperial War Museum is a London-based museum dedicated to world conflict and has several impressive exhibits about the First World War.
  Photo by _dChris (cc)

• Imperial War Museum Duxford
  Set in a World War One airfield, this museum looks at several aspects of military history and explores military history on land, by air and by sea.
  Photo by Dave Hamster (cc)

• In Flanders Field Museum
  Dedicated to World War One, this Belgian museum looks at the war from several different perspectives and is a comprehensive museum of both the First World War and Ypres’s role in the conflict.
  Photo by Bernt Rostad (cc)

• Irish Peace Tower
  The Irish Peace Tower is an imposing 100-ft memorial to all First World War Irish casualties and remembers soldiers from both the Catholic and Protestant communities.
  Photo by R/DV/RS (cc)

• Kabatepe Museum
  Located amidst the World War 1 sites of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula, this museum exhibits items related to the Gallipoli Campaign.
  

• Konigstein Fortress
  This medieval castle is Dresden has been everything from a stronghold to a prisoner of war camp during both World Wars.
  Photo by rs-foto (cc)

• Kranji War Cemetery
  Used as a World War Two wartime hospital, Kranji War Cemetery is now a military graveyard including a number of World War I graves.
  Photo by edwin.11 (cc)

• Langemark Cemetery
  Located at one of the World War 1 sites of the Battle of Ypres, this cemetery is where approximately 44,000 German troops are buried, many in mass graves.
  Photo by Eoghan OLionnain (cc)

• Le P’tit Train de la Haute Somme
  This museum has reconstructed the train line once used to move supplies to and from the front line during the Battle of the Somme, complete with traditional steam and diesel trains.
  Photo by openroads.com (cc)

• Lone Pine Cemetery
  This is a Commonwealth cemetery located on one of the World War 1 battle sites of the Gallipoli Campaign and housing the graves of over a thousand casualties of this episode of the war.
  Photo by laszlo-photo (cc)

• Lone Pine Memorial
  This is a memorial to Australian and New Zealand casualties of the Gallipoli Campaign.
  Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D. (cc)

• Louvemont
  Formerly a village but now utterly silent, Louvemont is said to have “died for France” because the extent of the damage caused to it during the war meant it was abandoned. This is one of the more haunting of World War One sites.
  

• Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917
  A museum all about the Battle of Passchendaele including details of the World War One sites in the area, the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 provides a comprehensive account of the battle.
  Photo by ThruTheseLines (cc)

• National World War I Museum
  The US National World War I Museum is a comprehensive museum of the history and legacy of this global conflict.
  

• Newfoundland Memorial
  This is a memorial to the Canadian troops who fought in the First World War. It is located on the site of fierce fighting during the Battle of the Somme.
  

• Oise-Aisne American Cemetery
  Oise-Aisne American Cemetery is a World War I cemetery and memorial containing the grave of 6,012 American soldiers who lost their lives in this conflict.
  

• Passchendaele New British Cemetery
  This is a World War 1 graveyard located near the site of the Battle of Passchendaele and managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
  

• Ploegsteert Memorial
  The Ploegsteert Memorial commemorates over 11,000 British and South African servicemen who died in this region during WWI and have no known grave.
  Photo by R/DV/RS (cc)

• Pozieres
  One of the First World War sites which played host to one of the clashes of the Battle of the Somme, the village of Pozieres was an important German stronghold in the war. Today, visitors can gain an insight into this battle with memorials, signposts and information panels as well as a museum.
  

• Quinn’s Post Cemetery
  A strategic point for Anzac troops during the Galliplo Campaign, this is now the site of a Commonwealth cemetery.
  

• Royal Navy Submarine Museum
  Home of the WWII submarine HMS Alliance, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum is a family-orientated, interactive museum detailing the history of British submarine warfare.
  Photo by Mr ATM (cc)

• Sanctuary Wood Cemetery
  Sanctuary Wood Cemetery is a WWI Commonwealth cemetery containing the remains of soldiers who were killed in the region during the conflict.
  Photo by Jim Linwood (cc)

• Serbian Monument to the Unknown Hero
  The Serbian Monument to the Unknown Hero is in memory of the victims of World War I and the Balkan Wars.
  

• Suomenlinna Fortress
  Suomenlinna Fortress is an impressive, UNESCO-listed 18th century maritime fortification complex which has been property of the Swedish, the Russians and the Finnish.
  

• The Brest-Hero Fortress
  The Brest-Hero Fortress played an important role in 20th century military history.
  

• The Canakkale Martyrs Memorial
  This is a vast monument dedicated to the Turkish soldiers who perished in the Gallipoli Campaign.
  

• The Chapel of the Souvenir Francais
  This chapel commemorates the French troops who fought in World War I, particularly those French soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme.
  

• The Franco Australian Museum
  One of the World War One sites dedicated to exploring this history of this war, The Franco Australian Museum focuses on the role of Australian in the conflict.
  

• The Helles Memorial
  This impressive memorial is dedicated to those who died in the eight month Gallipoli Campaign, especially those with no known grave.
  

• The Hill 60 New Zealand Memorial
  Set at the World War 1 site of the Battle of Hill 60, this is a memorial to the New Zealand soldiers who died in this clash.
  

• The Liberty Memorial
  The Liberty Memorial is a US national World War I monument in Kansas City in Missouri.
  

• The London Royal Air Force Museum
  The London Royal Air Force Museum offers a great overview of the history of aviation in combat and includes two hangars dedicated to World War I.
  Photo by tataquax (cc)

• The Marasesti Mausoleum
  The Marasesti Mausoleum is an elaborate Romanian World War I monument.
  

• The Somme 1916 Museum
  This is a museum all about the Battle of the Somme, including uniforms, weapons and a trenches exhibit.
  

• Thiepval Memorial
  The Thiepval Memorial is a Commonwealth memorial dedicated to over 72,000 servicemen who died in the Somme region during WWI.
  Photo by MikeFitz (cc)

• Tyne Cot Cemetery
  Tyne Cot Cemetery is a WW1 Commonwealth cemetery in Belgium and the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world.
  Photo by Jim Linwood (cc)

• Ulster Memorial Tower
  This is a 70-foot high replica of Helen’s Tower in Northern Ireland and it commemorates the men of Ulster who died in World War I.
  

• Verdun Memorial
  A museum and a memorial, this site is set at the location of one of the World War One sites of the Battle of Verdun.
  Photo by Wolfgang S (cc)

• Vis-En-Artois Cemetery
  This is a First World War Commonwealth graveyard in France’s Pas de Calais region.
  Photo by jinterwas (cc)