Collection and the documentation

Containing some 75,000 original artefacts of all kinds, the museum’s collections serve to illustrate the mindsets and experiences of the three biggest societies that went to war in 1914-1918. The Historial’s Documentation Centre is open by appointment, providing access to the collections.

The Historial’s collections span a broad array of themes, and the boundary between civilian and military life is sometimes rather blurry.

The centre is open by appointment, providing free access to the Historial’s archives and the collections database.

This section contains maps of the front lines, a chronological account of the Great War and a selection of detailed analyses of artefacts held in the collections.