The Road to Liberty 1944 - 1945
On 6th June 1944, after long preparations kept secret, the Allied landings began on the beaches of Normandy, with the support of the parachutists.
The liberation of the occupied countries of Europe was starting.
It is from Sainte-Mère-Église that the Road to Liberty starts. A first section crosses the Cotentin till Cherbourg; the second one passes through France from West to East till Metz; from there, this road leads to Bastogne through Luxembourg and Arlon, after a route of 1,145 km.
The boundary stones of the Road to Liberty
Boundary stones, driven into the ground one kilometer apart, mark out the route.
A lighted torch like the one brandished by the Statue of Liberty in the roadstead of New York is sculpted on each of the boundary stones.
At the bottom of the stele, wavy lines are reminiscent of the waves of the sea. At the top, stars represent the States like on the flag of the United States.
picture taken by myself on June 6th 2008Liberty Road is the commemorative way marking the victorious route of the Allies, after D-Day in June 1944. It starts in Sainte-Mère-Église, in the Manche département in Basse-Normandie, France, travels across Northern France to Metz and then Northwards to end in Bastogne, on the border of Luxembourg and Belgium. At each of the 1,446 kilometres, there is a stone marker or 'Borne'. The first lies outside the town hall in Ste Mere Église.
After the momentous events of June 1944, Guy de la Vasselais conceived a grandiose memorial to the Liberation, the Voie de la Liberté.
It follows one of a number of routes taken by the allied forces, during the Second World War. The chosen route was certainly one of the most glorious, following the penetration by General George S. Patton and celebrates his historic cavalcade, which travelled from Normandy to Metz.
The opening of Liberty Road, when it was finally finished, took place on 18 September 1947, at Fontainebleau, France.
