Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial

The Cimetière militaire américain de Saint -Avold, or Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial is an American military cemetery in Saint- Avold in France. With 10,489 graves, it is the largest American military cemetery of the Second World War in Europe.

It was built in honor of U.S. soldiers who died during the conquest of the Rhine. The cemetery covers an area of ​​46 hectares and is divided into nine symmetrical parts. It was founded in 1945, completed in 1960 and is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

The free right of use of the premises was granted the United States by the French government for ever.

As in many military cemeteries the graves depending on the religion of soldiers are different: among other things, there is the Christian cross and the Star of David.

In addition, there is a lookout tower and a memorial within the cemetery. In 1995, the cemetery was visited by 200,000 visitors.