The Australian War Memorial description and photos - Australia: Canberra (Topic)

The Australian War Memorial description and photos - Australia: Canberra. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is The Australian War Memorial.

Photo and Description

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's premier memorial to soldiers who died in war. Located in Canberra.

Charles Bean, the Australian historian of the First World War, first came up with the idea of creating a monument to Australian soldiers when he was studying the sites of military battles in France in 1916. Already in May 1917, the first collection of objects related to the military history of Australia was collected, which was first exhibited in Melbourne. Construction of the permanent building for the Memorial was completed in 1941, after the outbreak of World War II. The official opening took place on November 11 - Memorial Day. Today the Memorial is considered one of the most significant monuments of this kind in the world. It is located near the Parliament building, from the balcony of which a circular panorama of the monument opens.

The memorial consists of three parts: the Mausoleum with the Hall of Remembrance, which houses the tomb of the unknown Australian soldier, a museum and a research center. The Hall of Memory is built in the shape of an octagon, on the four walls of which - north-west, north-east, south-west and south-east - mosaics are laid with images of a Soldier, a Pilot, a Sailor and a Woman-soldier. Interestingly, the mosaics and stained-glass windows were created by the one-armed Australian artist Napier Waller, who lost his arm during the First World War. In front of the Hall of Remembrance there is a narrow courtyard and a small pond, in the center of which is an eternal flame. Above the courtyard is a long covered gallery with the Plaque of Fame - bronze plates on which the names of 102,000 Australian soldiers who died are carved. Every day, when the Memorial closes in the evening, a small ceremony is held during which the audience can hear a short history of its creation and listen to the military verification signal before dawn.

Many consider the area of the Armed Forces of Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC Parade) to be part of the memorial, but this is not so. The plaza is located off the northern shore of Lake Burleigh Griffin and leads to the base of the Memorial. Along each side of the square, there are a number of sculptures dedicated to various military campaigns, such as the Vietnam War, or the memory of the sisters of mercy. Near the lake itself there are monumental sculptures in the form of two giant basket handles donated by New Zealand. The idea for creating the sculptures was the saying of New Zealand Maori aborigines, which speaks of the traditional cooperation and proximity of the two countries of the Commonwealth.

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Topic: The Australian War Memorial description and photos - Australia: Canberra.