Battles Lines from WW1

The Written War – A literary map of the Somme

A cultural, innovative and immersive tour of the Somme!

Discover the natural landscapes, the sites of remembrance and the history of towns and villages of the Somme through the eyes of writers and poets inspired by WW1.

One hundred years after the start of the First World War, the Somme and its landscapes still bear witness to the extreme violence of the fights that took place on its soil.

From the very beginning, and even many years after the war ended, thousands of men and women shared their physical and emotional experiences in writing.

Through the lens of literature, this captivating and informative app will help understand the impact of the Great War on the Somme territory and on the soldiers and civilians who experienced it.

The contents will highlight the natural heritage and regional history, while demonstrating the inter-national and strategic position that Picardy held in the First World War. Composed of readings of known or little known literary pieces, historical and biographical information, works of art and ar-chive footage, the app provides a veritable wealth of information.

The international dimension of the Somme fights is represented through the choice of authors from various countries including (among others) Siegfried Sassoon, Ivor Gurney, Alan Seeger, Vera Brit-tain, Jean Cocteau, Francis T. Lind, W.H. Downing, André Maurois, Blaise Cendrars, Ernst Jünger, Hans Carossa or Edlef Köppen.