Memorial gates and arches

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 is similar to that of a 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

Belgium

• Menin Gate, Ypres

Canada

• Memorial Gates (University of Saskatchewan)

University of Saskatchewan Memorial Gates

United Kingdom

• University of Glasgow Memorial Gates
• Memorial Gates (Constitution Hill)

United States

• Hurlbut Memorial Gate
• The Roddick Memorial Gates
• Confederate Memorial Gates in Mayfield
• Confederate Memorial Gateway in Hickman

Memorial arches

Afghanistan

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

Taq-e Zafar (Arch of Victory) in the gardens of Paghman near Kabul, built to commemorate Afghanistan's independence after the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919

Belgium

• Arcade du Cinquantenaire, Brussels

The Arcade du Cinquantenaire in Brussels, built for the National Exhibition of 1880 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence

Canada

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

France

• Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval

Germany

• Siegestor (1850), Munich

Siegestor in Munich, a Bavarian army monument, destroyed in World War II but partially rebuilt as a reminder for peace

India

• India Gate, New Delhi

India Gate (originally the All India War Memorial), built in 1921–31, is a war memorial located astride the Rajpath, on the eastern edge of the boulevard of New Delhi, formerly called Kingsway.

• Gateway of India, Mumbai

The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the city of Mumbai to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911.

Ireland

• Fusiliers' Arch, Dublin

Italy

• Arco della Vittoria, Genoa

Mexico

• Monumento a la Revolución, Mexico City

Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City, the tallest memorial arch in the world, 1938

North Macedonia

• Porta Macedonia, Skopje

Porta Macedonia in Skopje, North Macedonia, is dedicated to 20 years of Macedonian independence, 2012

Romania

• Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, built to commemorate Romania's independence

Pretzel vendors in front of the Romanian Triumphal Arch in Bucharest

United Kingdom

• Arch of Remembrance, First World War memorial in Leicester
• City War Memorial, Nottingham, First World War memorial in Nottingham

United States

• Memorial Arch of Tilton (1882), Northfield, New Hampshire
• Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch (1886), Hartford, Connecticut
• Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch (1892), Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City
• Washington Square Arch (1892), Manhattan, New York City
• War Correspondents Memorial Arch (1896), Gathland State Park, Maryland
• Dewey Arch (1899, razed 1900), Manhattan, New York City
• Confederate Memorial in Fulton (1902), Fulton, Kentucky
• Confederate Soldier Memorial (Columbus, Ohio) (1902)
• 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
• "Victory Gate" (1919, razed 1920), Madison Square Park, Manhattan, New York City
• Rosedale World War I Memorial Arch (1924), Kansas City, Kansas
• Gateway Arch (1965), St. Louis, Missouri
• Memorial Arch (Huntington, West Virginia) (1924)

National Memorial Arch, a Revolutionary War memorial in Valley Forge National Historical Park, Chester County, Pennsylvania

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