Historial de la Grande Guerre (WWI Museum)

The Historial de la Grande Guerre occupies the Château de Péronne, a fortress on the Somme river in the town of Péronne, in the Somme department of Hauts-de-France. The museum opened in 1992 and was designed by the architect Henri Ciriani, who built a long, low concrete wing behind the medieval ramparts so that the castle's ruined walls frame the collection. The site has its own deep history: Péronne's castle is associated with the death of the Carolingian king Charles the Simple in 929 and with the captivity of Louis XI in 1468 at the hands of the Duke of Burgundy. The town was badly damaged in the First World War and lay near the front line during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the German offensive of March 1918. The museum's distinctive approach is comparative: it presents the war as a cultural and social experience, looking at French, British and German societies in parallel instead of narrating battles chronologically from one side. The permanent collection includes uniforms, weapons, letters, drawings, posters, toys and everyday objects. Exhibits are laid out in shallow, horizontal glass displays set into pits, so that visitors look down at the objects, a design intended to give a sense of the trench and the grave. The galleries are organised around themes such as the outbreak of war, the experience of soldiers, civilians, propaganda, mourning and remembrance. The museum has research and teaching activities, and works with a scientific committee of international historians that shapes its exhibitions. Interpretation is provided in French, English and German, and an audio guide is available. The museum remains well maintained, with the contemporary wing complementing the partly restored castle remains. Because of its approach, it is often visited before the Somme battlefield memorials at Thiepval or Delville Wood to provide context. A visit usually takes two hours, and the museum is closed on Mondays and for part of the winter, including January and February.