Memorial gates and arches explained

Memorial gates and arches are architectural monuments in the form of gates and arches or other entrances, constructed as a memorial, often dedicated to a particular war though some are dedicated to individuals. The function, and very often the architectural form, is similar to that of a Roman triumphal arch, with the emphasis on remembrance and commemoration of war casualties, on marking a civil event (the country's independence, for example), or on providing a monumental entrance to a city, as opposed to celebrating a military success or general, though some memorial arches perform both functions. They can vary in size, but are commonly monumental stone structures combining features of both an archway and a gate, often forming an entrance or straddling a roadway, but sometimes constructed in isolation as a standalone structure, or on a smaller scale as a local memorial to war dead. Although they can share architectural features with triumphal arches, memorial arches and gates constructed from the 20th century onwards often have the names of the dead inscribed on them as an act of commemoration.

Memorial gates

Europe

Belgium

• Menin Gate, Ypres

France

• Porte Désilles, Nancy

Germany

• Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

United Kingdom

• University of Glasgow Memorial Gates, Glasgow
• Memorial Gates, London

North America

Canada

• Memorial Gates (University of Saskatchewan), Saskatoon
• Roddick Gates, Montreal

United States

• Hurlbut Memorial Gate, Detroit
• Confederate Memorial Gates in Mayfield
• Confederate Memorial Gateway in Hickman
• Soldiers Memorial Gate (Brown University)

Memorial arches

Asia

Afghanistan

• Taq-e Zafar (Arch of Victory) (1928), Paghman

India

• India Gate (1931), New Delhi
• Gateway of India (1924), Mumbai
• Sabhyata Dwar (2018), Patna

Iraq

• Swords of Qādisīyah (Victory Arch) (1989), Baghdad

Saudi Arabia

• Mecca Gate (1979), Jeddah
• Al-Abtal Gate (2013), Riyadh

Europe

Belgium

• Cinquantenaire Arcade (1905), Brussels

France

• Thiepval Memorial (1932), Thiepval

Germany

• Siegestor (1850), Munich

Ireland

• Fusiliers' Arch (1907), Dublin

Italy

• Arco della Vittoria (1931), Genoa

North Macedonia

• Porta Macedonia (2012), Skopje

Portugal

• Rua Augusta Arch (1873), Lisbon

Spain

• Arc de Triomf (1888), Barcelona

United Kingdom

• Arch of Remembrance (1925), WWI memorial in Leicester
• City War Memorial (1927), WWI memorial in Nottingham

North America

Canada

• Peace Arch (1921), Canada–US border
• National War Memorial (1939), Ottawa
• Royal Military College of Canada Memorial Arch, Kingston

Mexico

• Monumento a la Revolución (1938), Mexico City

United States

• Memorial Arch of Tilton (1882), Northfield, New Hampshire
• Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch (1886), Hartford, Connecticut
• Washington Square Arch (1892), Manhattan, New York City
• War Correspondents Memorial Arch (1896), Gathland State Park, Maryland
• Confederate Memorial (1902), Fulton, Kentucky
• Confederate Soldier Memorial (1902), Columbus, Ohio
• Smith Memorial Arch (1912), West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania State Memorial, Gettysburg (1914), Pennsylvania
• National Memorial Arch (1917), Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
• Victory Arch (1919), Macarty Square, New Orleans, Louisiana^[1]
• Victory Gate (1919, razed 1920), Madison Square Park, Manhattan, New York City
• Rosedale World War I Memorial Arch (1924), Kansas City, Kansas
• Memorial Arch (1924), Huntington, West Virginia
• Gateway Arch (1965), St. Louis, Missouri

References

1. Web site: World War I, Victory Arch, New Orleans, Louisiana. freepages.rootsweb.com.

External links

• Memorial Arch at Stanford University
• List of Chinese memorial arches
• Rugby's War Memorial Gates
• News story about memorial gates in New Zealand
• Example of an Australian memorial gate