Memorials in England, France, and Germany

The square was originally named for king Louis XV who planned it, then renamed Place de la Révolution when king Louis XVI and queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined here. The name changes continued, but Place de la Concorde, denoting peace and reconciliation won out.

The 3,200 year old granite obelisk from Luxor Egypt was placed here, in the tradition of ancient Rome, by king Louis Philippe in 1836. Its hieroglyphs celebrate the Pharaoh Ramses II and the base represents the ingenious effort to transport the 250 ton stone.

The two buildings to the north, now the Hôtel de Crillon (left) and the Hôtel de la Marine or naval ministry (right) were designed soon after the site was laid out and remain key examples of Louis XV architecture.

Looking across the Seine we can see the Palais Bourbon, an early 18th century building that now houses the French National Assembly, but had been built as a home for the daughter of king Louis XIV.

Look past the traffic and you will see the gates to the Tuileries Garden begun in the 16th century by Catherine de' Medici, wife of king Henri II. The Louvre Museum is situated on the far side of the garden.

Across the street and between the trees is the bottom of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the most well known avenue in Paris. At the top of the Avenue sits the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon’s arch of triumph.

While not strictly in France, Germany, or the UK, the Lion’s Mound, in what is today Belgium, commemorates the Battle of Waterloo, the outcome of which had huge implications for those nations.

It was here that Wellington defeated Napoleon and put an end to his Imperial ambitions. Napoleon’s defeat is also credited with ushering in decades of relative tranquility between states that had been at war for years.

The mound was ordered by the king of the Netherlands, William I in 1820, just five years after the battle. The earth was taken from various battlefields, reshaping the historic topography.

At the apex of the mound stand an enormous iron lion with his right paw resting upon a sphere. The Lion is meant to express courage, and the sphere, the globe—together a symbol of a united global victory.

The monument was originally located a few block east in Parliament Square. Its many materials and exuberate colors have been recently restored. It is a prime example of Victorian design.

The fountain is made of different types of stone, a brightly colored enamelled roof, mosaics, iron, wood, and terracotta. It is Gothic Revival in style and its octogonal base can be entered on four sides. Inside, there are four massive stone water basins.

The playful Victorian interpretation of gothic forms can be seen everywhere. See for example the steep gables above the entries, the bundled columns alternating with slender single shafts and the play of color and textures.

The Cenotaph stands amidst Whitehall traffic just steps from the Prime Minister’s residence.

E.L. Lutyens designed this cenotaph as a temporary structure of wood and plaster for Peace Day, held July 1919, eight months after World War I ended.Public support prompted the monument to be remade in stone. It was unveiled by King George V on Armistice Day 1920.

Flowers were placed at the foot of the original monument in 1919 and wreaths are now laid here each year by the Queen, the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and others after two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on Remembrance Sunday.

The flag of the United Kingdom is surrounded by those representing the armed forces. The simple and somber inscription reads, “The Glorious Dead.”

Above the stone wreath the Roman Numerals MCMXIV can be seen, and on the opposite side, MCMXVIII—1914 and 1918, the years of the First World War. MCMXXXIX and MCMXLV were added to honor the dead of the Second World War in 1946.

Omaha was the codename for this beach and the American army was responsibility for taking it.

Rough seas and strong German positions caused confusion and high casualties but the Americans met their objectives—connecting the landings at Utah and Gold Beaches and securing a foothold in Nazi occupied France.

This is one of ten signal monuments designed by Yves-Marie Froidevaux c. 1948. It stands 30 feet high. The simple but powerful form is reminiscent of the prow of a ship and symbolizes the heroism of June 6, 1944.

The block inscription reads: “THE ALLIED FORCES LANDING ON THIS SHORE WHICH THEY CALL OMAHA BEACH LIBERATE EUROPE - JUNE 6th 1944” in both French and English. The sides contain shallow relief carvings.