Opened in 2011 on the centenary of the First Battle of the Marne, the Museum of the Great War is one of Europe's most important WWI museums — and, given the battle that effectively saved Paris from German occupation in September 1914, an entirely fitting place for it. The collection runs to some fifty thousand objects: uniforms, weapons, trench equipment, propaganda posters, personal effects from soldiers of a dozen nations. The displays are arranged chronologically and by theme, covering the whole sweep of the war from mobilisation to armistice, with particular emphasis on the experience of ordinary men in the trenches rather than the generals in the châteaux. The building itself is a striking piece of contemporary architecture sunk into a hillside on the eastern edge of Meaux. Budget two to three hours; the shop has an excellent selection of serious military history books.