Hell in the trenches
The stereoscopic images to be viewed within the Rotunda testify to the difficult living conditions – the mud and cold, the lice and rats – endured by all WWI soldiers, no matter their nationality. Over 800 archival images, in sepia and in black-and-white, sorted according to various themes: images of the front, life behind the lines, rural life during the war, urban devastations, etc.
Art in the trenches
During calmer periods, WWI soldiers crafted from shrapnel and other diverse materials unique objects for their families or to be sold behind the lines. The money thus raised allowed the squads to improve their everyday life along the front. However, collecting such items from the battlefield was actually forbidden, for soldiers would not always hesitate to manipulate unexploded shells. The memorial museum showcases an extensive, diverse collection of these artisanal objects from the trenches testifying to the soldiers’ private lives and their moments of rest and respite from fighting.