A symbolic spot. The camp at Boulogne-sur-Mer, the location from which Napoleon Bonaparte planned to invade England, was the site of a sumptuous ceremony at which over 2,000 Legion of Honour crosses were awarded on 16 August 1804. The site of the Column of the Great Army, a monument erected to commemorate this day, highlights the period of the camp in Boulogne during the First Empire and the introduction by Napoleon of the Legion of Honour as a national symbol. A museum presents the history of the site, including the old bronze statue of Napoleon at the top of the column and archive documents tracing the history of the monument and the Legion of Honour. The top of the column can be reached by an internal staircase.
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