The Canadian National Vimy Memorial pays tribute to the 66,000 Canadian soldiers who died in France during the First World War, including 11,285 missing, whose names are engraved on the monument. It is located on Vimy Ridge (Pas-de-Calais), the theatre of the Battle of April 1917, a decisive victory for Canadian troops. This site, managed by Veterans Affairs Canada, has been owned by Canada since 1922, after an exceptional donation from France, including a hundred hectares, free of life taxes.
The monument, built between 1925 and 1936 by Canadian artist Walter Allward, was inaugurated in 1936 by King Edward VIII and French President Albert Lebrun. Composed of 11,000 tonnes of concrete and 6,000 tonnes of white limestone from Croatia (Seget Pier), it consists of two 27-metre towers symbolizing Canada and France. A veiled statue, facing east, embodies Canada crying for its fallen sons.
The Battle of Vimy (April 1917) was a founding event for Canada, marking its first collective victory under unified command. The land, offered by France in recognition of Canadian sacrifices, now houses a wooded site where each tree, planted by a Canadian, symbolizes a missing soldier. The memorial, renovated in 2007, is one of the most visited sites in Pas-de-Calais as part of memory tourism.
In 1940, Polish resistors, led by a minor named Zimzag (known as "maguette"), burned German vehicles on Vimy Ridge, marking an act of early resistance. The memorial is also related to cultural events, such as the 5 cent Canadian coin issued in 2002 for the 85th anniversary of the battle, or the $20 2012 note representing the monument.
The centenary of the battle, celebrated in 2017, brought together French President François Hollande, Governor General David Johnston, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Prince Charles and his sons. In 2023, the memorial was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site among 139 World War I memorial sites.
The site is now managed by Canadian, Francophone and Anglophone student guides as part of an educational program. An astronomical peculiarity is observed in solstice: the sun seems to rise or fall in the axis of the monument, a phenomenon highlighted by Philippe Boukni in 2013.
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On November 9, 1997, Government of Canada officials opened the Interpretation Centre at the Vimy Memorial of Canada. This Monument has become one of Canada's only national historic sites abroad. The Centre complements the guided tours of tunnels and trenches.
The war, day after day, Vimy, a well-planned battle; Vimy: the crest captured; and, Canada remembers the war.
Through photographic reproductions and banner-type posters (tons sepia and ochre), artifacts, maps, graphic representations, an audio-visual multimedia presentation, explanatory texts, the exhibition helps visitors experience Vimy's experience during the Great War. Visitors bathe in the prevailing atmosphere in order to create a better understanding of the facts.
