Connect with American History in Pas-de-Calais
During WWI, soldiers from across the globe came to the area, and visitors can retrace the steps of these brave servicemen who fought to protect the freedom and peace we enjoy today. Whether in search of ancestors or simply paying tribute, at sites like the German bunker, La Coupole, and the underground passageways inWellington Quarry at Arras, people get closer to the experiences of the soldiers. Other sites like theCommonwealth War Graves, the Canadian Memorial in Vimy, the national necropolis of Notre Dame de Lorette, or the German cemetery in Neuville-Saint-Vaast honor the fallen.
Native Americans Fighting Abroad
A little-known fact is thenumber of Native Americans that enlisted and fought in the wars. Moving silently, and with sharp eyes, they made excellent snipers and reconnaissance agents. During the war they were seen as fierce warriors, feared by German soldiers, and respected by their Allied counterparts.
The ARACA (Association de Recherche des Anciens Combattants Amérindiens) is headquarted in Loos-en-Gohelle, a city in Pas-de-Calais. To date, its President, Yann Castelnot, has a list of over 4,000 names of enlistedAmerican Indians. Among the more well-known Native Americans are Standing Buffalo, the grandson of Sioux chief Sitting Bull, whose grave is found inFicheux, and Tom Longboat, the marathon champion who used his running skills to carry messages across enemy lines.
Head to the site for memorial tourism in Pas-de-Calaisfor more information on those who fought in the area, and the places you can visit to remember them.
Things to see
-
Louvre-Lens Museum
-
Visit the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims
-
Disneyland® Paris
-
Paris: Sacré-Coeur Basilica
-
The Moulin Rouge, Largest Cabaret in the World
-
The Arc de Triomphe, Honoring the Grande Armée in Paris
-
Visit the Fondation Louis Vuitton
-
Grand Palais National Galleries
-
The Louvre Museum
-
The Orsay, from a Train Station to a Museum
-
The Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac in Paris
-
The Centre Pompidou
-
Visit the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral
-
The Eiffel Tower
-
Go Wild at the Paris Zoological Park (Zoo de Vincennes)
Calendar
Point of interest
-
Rendez-vous at Wellington Quarry - Arras
-
Rendez-vous at Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery and Arras Memorial
-
Rendez-vous in Arras
-
Rendez-vous at German War Cemetery at La Maison Blanche - Neuville-Saint-Vaast
-
Rendez-vous at the Memorial to Polish Volunteers - Neuville-Saint-Vaast
-
Rendez-vous at French National War Cemetery at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette - Ablain-Saint-Nazaire
-
Rendez-vous at Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada
-
Louvre-Lens Museum
-
Visit Lens
-
Rendez-vous at Lens Railway Station
-
Rendez-vous at Bullecourt Australian Memorial Park
-
Rendez-vous at Town Hall, Belfry and Main Square of Bethune
-
Rendez-vous at the Ulster Tower
-
Rendez-vous at the Franco-British Memorial
-
Rendez-vous sur battlefields sites of Pozières