The LRE Foundation, in collaboration with LRE France, has officially launched seven new themed routes in Normandy. The project is part of the development of the Liberation Route Europe network, and its trails traverse cities and towns in Northwest France.
The idea behind the project is to shed light on the stories of battles, civilians and cities affected by the end of the Battle of Normandy, as well as less known sites that are often left out from the WWII memorial landscape in France. By coupling military histories with the realities of citizens, the routes illuminate a social and urban perspective to the war beyond the binary of victories and defeats. They also enrich the existing trails along the Landing Beaches with new paths through inland cities and towns such as Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, Sainte-Mére-Église, and Saint-Lô.
‘This region is one of the most important in terms of preserving the memory of the Second World War, and today marks an important step towards promoting history and making it accessible to as many people as possible.,’ said Isabelle Lebreton, Director of LRE France. ‘Visitors will be able to discover and explore this history in a new way.’
One themed route from the same project – Arromanches-les-Bains & Mulberry Harbour – was already launched in 2024, and now joins these newly introduced routes:
- The impact of war on Le Havre
- Caen City Centre
- The siege of Cherbourg
- Hedgerow hell in Saint-Lô
- Sainte-Mère-Église
- Bréville ridge
- 9th Parachute Battalion on D-Day
The overall LRE Normandy project will include the creation of new pieces of historical content, ranging from Vectors of Memory to podcasts and communication tools, in order to offer a multimodal way to experience the trails and learn about Normandy’s histories that unfolded in the shadow of key WWII events.
In addition to the key partner LRE France, the trails have been made possible thanks to the support of the Normandy Region, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and the National Fund for Regional Planning and Development.
All routes’ information and related stories are freely accessible via the Liberation Route Europe website and app, which offer interactive maps, historical insights, and practical tools to help hikers plan their journey and connect with the shared history of Europe’s liberation.
