This cemetery was founded in 1917 by the "Graves Registration Service", and opened in 1919. A place of remembrance covering 3 hectares, it is the only cemetery in Europe where graves from both World Wars are placed together.
Created in 1917 by the "Graves Registration Service", this cemetery was opened in 1919. A memorial site spanning 3 hectares, it is the only cemetery in Europe to combine the graves of those fallen in both World Wars I and II.
The Suresnes American Cemetery is a three-hectare site located on the hillside of Mont-Valérien. It is home to the graves of 1,541 American soldiers who fell during World War I, in addition to 24 unknown soldiers lost during the Second World War.
© Laurence Masson text source © American Battle Monuments Commission
Suresnes American Cemetery
123, boulevard Washington
Website: www.abmc.gov
Tel : +33 (0)1 46 25 01 70
Email : suresnes@abmc.gov
The cemetery is open to the public every day from 9am to 5pm, with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
For guided tours please ask at reception.
© Laurence Masson text source © American Battle Monuments Commission
An impressive chapel, and two ornately decorated memorial loggias either side of it, are dedicated to the memory of those fallen during the two World Wars.
The external walls are made from Val d'Arion limestone, and four monolithic peristyle columns form the building's portico.
The walls and columns within the chapel itself are built out of Rocheret stone.
The ceiling, meanwhile, features oak panelling.
Four bronze plaques bear the names of the 974 men whose bodies were buried or lost at sea during the First World War.
The door on the left-hand side of the chapel leads to the mezzanine for the First World War: a covered passage from which you can see the graves below and Paris in the distance. The door on the right-hand side of the chapel leads to the mezzanine for the Second World War: this is identical to the WWI section, with the exception of the wall inscriptions.
The original chapel was designed by the architect Charles A. Platt of New York, an was complete in 1932. The sons of Charles A. Platt – William and Geoffrey – created the mezzanines and memorial loggias that were added to the chapel in 1952.
The original cemetery was inaugurated in 1919, on the date of the United States holiday known as "Memorial Day". The cemetery dedicated to the Second World War opened on 13 September 1952.
The perfect alignment of the crosses, made from Italian marble, together with the stunning natural landscape surrounding them, creates a calm and serene atmosphere.
