European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Normandy two French schoolboys hang Over a Fence top photo. Mannequins display some of the More than 100 uniforms displayed at the memorial museum of the Battle of Normandy above. A Vendor prepares fresh seafood right. S4sr Joseph Ovten by Joseph Owen staff writer a. Visitors to Normandy s coastal Plain will find a a Day a invasion testimonial in almost every town and Village there this year 1 a a a i a but Why Settle for Only one attack across the English i Channel when you can go to Bayeux and reflect on two of. Them a history drenched town of 15,000 people Bayeux was the first Urban Center the allies liberated in 1944. It also is the Home of Queen Mathilda s tapestry better known As the Bayeux tapestry a unique 230-foot-Long testimonial to a. William the conqueror s invasion of England in 1066. The tapestry s Home is Centre Guillaume a conquer ant a. William the conqueror. Centeral obscure building on Rue de Desmond that from the outside looks As though it might House some bureaucratic operation such As a Public relations office. And in a Way it does. A a. The Bayeux tapestry is suspected to be part of a Public relations Effort undertaken by Bishop Odo of Bayeux William s half brother. The tapestry probably intended for display in Odo s Cathedral in Bayeux tells the Story of the Norman Conquest from a Norman Point of View justifying William s attack on King Harold of England. Harold and William had fought Side by Side against the Duke of Brittany in 1064. But two years later Harold had declared himself King of England and William took up arms against him claiming Harold had violated an agreement. Harold was killed at Hastings. The tapestry commissioned a few years later probably was made in an Anglo Saxon workshop staffed by the Defeated Anglo saxons thereby adding insult to injury. The William the conqueror Center is full of exhibits labelled in both French and English that explain the historical context in which these bold events occurred. Here too visitors can watch a movie presented alternately in English and French that explains the Story on the tapestry. Even if you can read the latin inscription on the tapestry itself the movie a narrated Asah imagined conversation Between Odo and Harold s widow a offers a lot of interesting background information. The tapestry itself is preserved in a climate controlled a. Shaped lighted plexiglass display Case mounted in a dark Tunnel like corridor. If the tapestry weren t Bent into a u form the museum would have required a room More than 230 feet Long to exhibit it visitors can rent headphones that offer taped 0n a tapestry in six languages including English. The reverent atmosphere contrasts oddly with the tapestry s graphic Battle scenes which probably constitute some of the Voriest artwork available in the 11 the Century. The crush of visitors May make it difficult to look at each. Tapestry panel in sequence so Don t be disappointed if you can t follow the Story line. A ,. A. The William the conqueror Center is open daily from 9 . To 9 . Until sept is and Tor Shorter business hours during the off season. Bayeux lies on National route 13 about 15 Miles West of Caen. The memorial museum of the Battle of Normandy is on Boulevard Fabian Ware the part of route 13 that skirts the town s Southern rim. ,. A. Normandy is packed with museums commemorating various aspects of the world War ii invasion but the one in. Bayeux is among the most comprehensive. A its 20,000�?T a Square feet of floor space House armoured vehicles More than 100 uniformed mannequins artillery pieces tons of other military equipment scores of detailed maps old newspapers and a theater where visitors can watch a movie about the 77-Day Battle that pushed the germans out of Northwestern France. You could spend a whole Day Here just Reading everything they be got Quot army it. Col James Doyle said while visiting the museum in March. Quot it s not a bad place to Start a tour. It does t just cover a Beach or the first Day. It gives you an overview of two  w assigned to land forces Central Europe he in Heidelberg Germany Wason a four Day tour of Normandy Battle Sites with army maj. John Fomous of the . Army Europe judge advocate general s office. The two described themselves As military history buffs. I think i knew All this stuff was Here but not until you see it do you realize what you re seeing Quot said Fomous who was on his second trip to the Region. The museum is open every Day from 9 . To 7 . C Urig june july and August and operates on a Shorter daily schedule the rest of the year. It draws Che biggest crowds Between about july 15 and aug. 15, when Many Trench citizens Are on vacation a museum employee said