Vimy Ridge, 11km north of Arras, was the scene of some of the bloodiest and toughest trench warfare of WWI, with almost two full years of attacks. Of the 66,655 Canadians who died in WWI, 3598 lost their lives in April 1917 taking this 14km-long stretch. Its highest point – site of a heavily fortified German position – was later chosen as the site of Canada's WWI memorial.
Overlooking the plain of Artois, the superbly designed white monument was built from 1925 to 1936. The peaceful, 1 sq km park also includes two Canadian cemeteries, a monument to France's Moroccan Division (in French and Arabic) and a Visitor Centre staffed by bilingual Canadian students who run free guided tours.
Vimy Ridge is a very evocative site, and it's easy to see why. Whereas the French, right after the war, attempted to erase all signs of battle and return the Somme region to agriculture and normalcy, the Canadians decided that the most evocative way to remember their fallen was to preserve part of the crater-pocked battlefield exactly the way it looked when the guns fell silent. As a result, the best place to get some sense of the hell known as the Western Front is the chilling, eerie moonscape of Vimy. The zigzag trench system is clearly visible, as are countless shell craters. Because countless bodies still lie buried among the trees and craters, the entire site is treated like a graveyard.
The imposing memorial features 20 allegorical figures, carved from huge blocks of white Croatian limestone, that include a cloaked, downcast female figure representing a young Canada grieving for her fallen. The two striking columns represent Canada and France. The names of 11,285 Canadians who 'died in France but have no known graves', listed alphabetically and within each letter by rank, are inscribed around the base.
A taxi from Arras costs about €25 one way (€30 on Sunday), or you can cycle along secondary roads to get here.
