The military and military technology have always fascinated crowds. Many pieces of equipment designed for warfare end their life in a museum once they are retired. If you too are interested in this theme, then this guide is for you. We have listed the top destinations to discover for all fans of military exhibitions and museums.
The United States, an ultra-militarized country
If we're talking about a military museum, we won't be able to miss the country with the biggest army in the world, I named the USA! This country is characterized by immense military infrastructure. Some can be visited.
We recommend for example the discovery of the Pentagon, the American Department of Defense, part of which is accessible to the public. But if you want to discover military buildings, in New-York, you can discover an aircraft carrier converted into a museum. This one welcomes military planes and helicopters as well as a Concorde and even a space shuttle!
On the side of Washington, which is a city that pays homage to American soldiers of the different wars, you will discover monuments in homage to most of the great battles in which the USA participated.
The city is also home to the Air and Space Museum where you can discover many military aircraft and fighter planes.
France, one of the oldest military countries in the world
You don't have to go to the ends of the earth to discover the genius of military engineering, sometimes all you have to do is stay in Europe. France is a country that has a strong army and knows how to show it off in different museums all around the country.
One example is the Musée des Invalides, located in Paris, which presents French military history.
Because of the country's past, there are museums all over the country that bear witness to the occupation in each region. For example, in Caen, the area of the 1944 landing, there is a large memorial.
In Brittany, a museum pays tribute to the resistance. In Oradour-sur-Glane, the destroyed village has been maintained as it was 70 years ago.
Equipment is also transformed into museums. This is for example the case of La Flore, a submarine that was taken out of the water near Lorient and transformed into an exhibition space. The building showcases the navigation and combat techniques of the time.
The United Kingdom, another great military nation
The United Kingdom is a kind of "worst friend" of France (these countries like to tease each other) and has a very rich military history as well. This is embodied by a navy that has long been the most powerful in the world.
The country honours this characteristic through a network of museums called the Imperial War Museum, the most important of which is in London.
Different institutions deal with the great wars that the United Kingdom experienced, with a large part of the focus being on the First and Second World Wars.
The HMS Belfast, the only ship that served in World War II that still exists is moored in the Thames and can be visited.