British Library joins collections from seven countries for Europeana World War I project

The lasting, deep impact of World War I on countries across Europe will be reflected in a major online project allowing more than 400,000 sources – most of which have previously been deemed too fragile for public viewing – to be seen for the first time.

Europeana Collections 1914-1918 will unite archives in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Austria and Serbia with the British Library to create a digital collection on an unprecedented scale in time for the centenary of the outbreak of the conflict.

They range from books and newspapers to trench journals, maps, children's literature, medals and coins, taking historical, artistic and cultural interpretations of the period out of reading rooms and onto a central online "memory" of the war.

"This is a tremendously important project that will transform access to Europe's shared cultural heritage in the run-up to the anniversary of the War's outbreak in 2014, said Professor Sir Andrew Motion, praising the British Library's involvement in the alliance.

"It will transform access to Europe's shared cultural heritage in the run-up to the anniversary of the War's outbreak."

The project has been organised by Europeana, a central organisation aiming to make cultural and scientific heritage across Europe more accessible.

• Visit Europeana Collections 1914-1918 for more.

More pictures from the collection: