Monument to the fallen is perceived by tourists in shiny nice with some surprise. But this prosperous city is a tough and military history that has consumed many lives.

The monument was erected in 1928 in memory of the four thousand inhabitants of nice, fell on the battlefields of the First world war. The project has created local architect Roger Sissal that adorn the Cenotaph reliefs were sculpted by the sculptor Alfred Gennio. The place chosen for the monument is that it could be well seen from the sea, and around Castle hill promenade. The opening was attended by the hero of the First world war, Marshal Foch and the British, American, Italian sailors whose ships were in the Bay of Villefranche.

The monument is a colossal carved into the rock of the arch containing the likeness of a colonnaded temple. Outline it resembles a burial urn. The reliefs at the foot of symbolically portray War, Peace, Freedom and Power. On the monument are engraved the names of the inhabitants of nice, who died in the war of 1914-1918.

If in the First world war front held a thousand kilometers from nice, during WWII, she became the front: the city was occupied by troops of fascist Italy. Here were the Resistance, which began with urban high school students of the Lyceum (now the lycée Massena). All were arrested in 1940 and then executed.

Until September 1943 relatively safe feel in nice who fled from Paris Jews: Mussolini, causing irritation of Hitler, refused to expose them to reprisals. But as soon as Italy had signed an armistice with the allies, German tanks appeared on the promenade des Anglais. The headquarters of the Gestapo arrived to the hotel "splendid" on the Boulevard Victor Hugo. Here, in hotel rooms, were arranged in a torture chamber. The Gestapo and Vichy detention, the police began the roundup of Jews, thousands of them were sent to concentration camps. In spring and summer 1944, the city was subjected to U.S. bombing that killed about a thousand residents, more than five thousand were left homeless, famine. By the time of release of the city's population decreased by 15 percent, the economic life was completely destroyed.

The names of the victims of the Second world also carved on the stelae of the memorial. In the future, the idea of the monument were expanded, covering new military conflicts that befell the French people. Appeared steles with the names of the inhabitants of nice, fell in the bloody colonial wars waged by the country: in 1946 – 1954 in Indochina (Vietnam) in 1954 to 1962 in Algeria. Gradually, the monument has been interpreted as a monument to the fallen in all wars of the twentieth century.

It is believed that this memorial is one of the most original and impressive in all of France and its huge size (32 m in height) Express the idea of eternal memory of the citizens of nice, who gave their lives for their country.