This is the site of the Canadian Landing on the Normandy Beaches on D-Day, June 4, 1944. On this spot is a large bronze sculpture entitled "Remembrance and Renewal". The memorial provides a place of reflection for the sober 'remembrance theme' -- but also for the hopeful 'renewal theme' since a vibrant vacation community of Courseulles-sur-Mer has developed next to it.
Nous y sommes allés en couple, certes pas glamour, mais il y a un devoir de mémoire derrière. Ne jamais oubliez, ce qui a pu ce passé en France il n y pas si longtemps que ca. Le soutien du Canada à la France sur Juno Beach a été déterminant. La suite, nous la connaissons.We visited this center for memories. It s really interesting to see what happened there. How canadians help France to beat Nazism. It's not a choice to go to Juno Beach, it's a duty for all of US. What happened couples years ago, do not have to repeat! Again, thank to ours canadians cousins!
This is a unique museum -- funded by the private sector but still overwhelming Canadian. The museum is like walking into an interesting Grade 10 history class. Tons of context, all special populations covered, a downplaying of violence and heroism, a big search for broader meaning, and such comprehensive coverage. We went to the centre the same day that we visited the WWI Museum in Bayeux -- ad the latter was much better. The Juno Beach Centre is great if you do not know much about the war, don't know a great deal about Canada, and have missed being in a high school classroom.
Visited this museum end of October 2014 and was duly impressed with this museum. As I am Canadian this beach was a must see. The museum is manned by young Canadian individuals who spend one year here to give lectures and lead the organized tours. Our guide was vibrant and a truly interesting individual who gave a tour that was most informative and interesting. Our tour group consisted of about 25 persons and around five children. She managed to include the children actively in the tour and made the one hour tour truly memorable for everyone involved. The museum itself, although small, was packed with pictures, videos and displays. We easily spent an hour here after our one hour outside tour and learned so much of the World War 11 D Day invasions. Many personal stories are told here and if you were a vet or a family member of one who fought here you will find this a truly fitting remembrance memorial. Many emotions are brought to the surface here. I wish every Canadian could visit this museum.
I was surprised how moving the experience was for a non-Canadian. The exhibits are beautifully presented and give a good understanding of Canada's role on D Day and during the war. The circular room with film at the beginning of the tour was excellent and really gave mood to the tour. Other amazingly effective, but simple exhibits, hands on exhibits and virtual guides were very effective and connected well to those visiting.
Dear DanaeTravelling, Thank you for taking the time to post a comment and for your appreciation of the museum and our guide staff. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip.
Went with our kids this summer (ages 8 & 10) and were pleasantly surprised. Excellent explanation of events using a variety of media. The 360 visual was realistic, but not horrific for our 8-year old. Lots of interesting and well-laid out displays in both French and English.
What a great museum!Visited Caen just for this museum. Glad I made the trek. Definitely a must see for all Canadians. Very humbling experience. Tons to read and I thought it was a very informative museum despite its size. Spent almost 2 hours there. Wanted to give it my full attention out of respect to the Canadians who fought on that fateful day. Would definitely go back if I had the opportunity.
Dear kiwix36, I'm glad to hear that despite the poor weather during your trip in December, you were able to enjoy your visit of our museum and that you came back to walk the beach the next day. Again, thank you for sharing your impressions and taking the time to write a review. Best regards.
This is a great museum, it explains the planning and deployment of troupes on the beach for D-Day. The only problem is the Canadian government does very little to support this place. I am sure that Canadians would not object to provide money form Canada to make sure this is upgraded.