Juno Beach Centre

Courseulles-sur-Mer, France

The Juno Beach Centre or is a museum situated immediately behind the beach codenamed Juno, the section of the Allied beachhead on which 14,000 Canadian troops landed on D-Day 6 June 1944.

The Centre was conceived in the 1990s by a group of Canadian veterans who felt that the contributions and sacrifices of Canadian soldiers during the liberation of Europe were not properly commemorated and represented in the Normandy region. The project, spearheaded by veteran Garth Webb and his companion Lise Cooper, began initially as a grassroots fundraising campaign that eventually gained the financial support of many institutions and businesses and the Canadian and French governments at many levels. The Centre was inaugurated on 6 June 2003. Over one thousand Canadian veterans attended the inauguration in 2003, as well as the 2004 ceremony for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

The museum's scope is not only the D-Day landings. Through detailed and interactive exhibition rooms, the museum relates the story of life in Canada before the outbreak of the war, Canada’s civilian and military contribution to the war effort, and contemporary Canadian society in the decades since World War II.

The building itself, designed by Canadian architect Brian K. Chamberlain, is a single-storey structure with five main points, resembling a stylized maple leaf. The exterior is clad in titanium scales and stands about 100 meters back from the present line of sand dunes. A ceremonial area, which features a statue entitled Remembrance and Renewal, stands between the Centre and the dunes. A gap in the dunes is filled by a symbolic structure shaped as a landing craft—a memorial to the French Resistance. An intact German bunker, once an observation post, stands immediately in front of this memorial.

The museum also houses a temporary exhibition space which changes approximately once per year and which highlights various histories and themes relating to Canada past and present.

The Juno Beach Centre is open year round and closes routinely for the month of January. It offers guided visits of Juno Beach that are provided by Canadian students.

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Category: Museums in France

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Gin YT (2 months ago)
It was moving to see the presence of the Canadian story told in Normandy. I learned a great deal about Canada’s past. I’m surprised how new this establishment was, only since 2003. I’m thankful for the veterans that pushed through making this place possible. A humbling experience. I recommend checking out the guided tour offered by the Canadian youth, who will take you through two German bunkers. These are not open the public otherwise. Also a great place for kids.
Jussi Vuorisalmi (5 months ago)
Mixed feelings about the center. Good to see that there is also a Canadian center in Normandia but the exhibition and films at the center were quite pointless to me. But it could be just me. Knowing what I know now, I would skip the center and just go for the bunker tour which was very good. Also do not forget the Canadian cemetary just a few km from here.
R M (6 months ago)
Can't say enough good things. Museum was excellent, I learned a lot about Canada's role in the war effort and D-Day. We arrived on bikes, and there were beautiful shaded bike lockers available along with a work station. The staff were lovely as well.
Alastair McKenzie (6 months ago)
My second visit. Little has changed since 2019. It's still an excellent museum that focuses on how the Canadians came to be part of D-Day and what their experiences were at home and in Normandy.
The Happy Dublin Biker (8 months ago)
A different take on D-Day compared to other museums in the area. The focus is on the impacts of the conflict on Canada and the Canadian Troops involved. Lots of interesting information including two film presentations, but quite text oriented displays. Lovely, friendly Canadian Staff!
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