Edited by the Joint Gondor-Rohan Comision for the Memory of the War of the Ring (J. G. R. C. M. W. R.).

This small resume wants to show you in a brief list, the main monuments, museums and war cementeries that you can visit through the former battlefields of the War of the Ring (3019, 3º Age).

On this spot just on the south border of Fangorn Forest, you could find two monuments. The first is to the rohirrim soldiers who fell on this combat. After the battle they where buried there, but some years later, King Eomer translated the bodies to the Helm’s Deep National Cementery.

The second monument, some meters away from the first, is in memory of Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck (who where liberated by the actions of the rohirrim cavalry), and is suposed to be just where the orc called Glishnakh was dead. On it you could see them with the uniforms they have at the end of the war. The text signals that here began the end of Isengard’s power.

On the Isen Theodred Military Park, there are some things to see. The most visible is the monument called "The Guard of the Isen", located on the island on the Isen Ford, and it consists on the tombs of the men who fell on the battles, in the form of a white mausoleum surrounded by iron lances pointing to the sky.

Besides this, on the other side of the island, is an statue of Theodred, son of King Theoden, who was killed here by a semiorc on the First Battle of the Isen.

Finally, some hundred meters away, on the east bank of the river, a circle of stones marks the place of the fortified camp held by Grimbol on the Second Battle.

This is one of the three major battles of the war, so has many things to see, apart from the magnificient views of the Deep and the Ered Nimrais. Leave your car on the parking before the gates of Hornburg, and stay a whole morning on the place.

First to see arriving to the gates, is the tomb of Hama, Captain of the King’s Guard. Just besides this lone tomb, and before the walls of the fortress are the two mounds of the Helm’s Deep National Cementery, with permanent guard. Inside Hornburg, you will find the Museum of the Battle. There are maps and diagrams, and some relics like uniforms of Rohan and White Hand shields. On the south door you could see a plaque telling that here the elf Legolas saved King Elessar from falling in enemy hands.

Still you can see the point where Saruman’s troops blew up the wall, because of the different masonry, and a plaque telling the names of the men of Rohan who died in the explosion.

Nearby of the Hornburg is the Dwarf settlement of Aglarond, and there you can admire a statue of Gimli, the founder, and a plaque telling of his participation on the battle.

Finally, when you leave the battlefield, you can see the "Death Down", where is supposed that the dead orcs where buried by the ents.

That wich was time ago a mighty fortress is now a gentle valley with great woods called the Ent’s Garden. But there are details remembering us of the evil of Saruman, and his defeat. In the road leading to Orthanc, an small forest stays in honour of Beechbone, the only ent killed in the assault of Isengard.

Visiting the tower of Orthanc, you can see a small museum of relics of Saruman and is army: white hand uniforms, helms and shields, parts of the grand hand destroyed by the ents, the pedestal of the palantiri ... Also you can see the terrace where Gandalf was held prisoner, and the secret room that Saruman prepared to keep the Ring.

If there is a major point in the War of the Rings, that is the Pelennor Fields. In this open plain between Minas Tirith and the Anduin, the greatest battle was fought. The troops involved on it where 12000 from Gondor and Rohan, and 50000 of Mordor. To see all the place you should stay all a day long on it.

We begin our visit in the centre of the battlefield (parking besides), in the fantastic epic Memorial of the Alliance. This quite big monument (25 meters to the top) remembers the meeting, in the middle of the battle, of King Eomer of Rohan and future King Elessar of Gondor. On the top of it, their two figures shake hands, as they did, and below them, lay panic stroked orcs and haradrim, because King Elessar told Eomer "Thus we meet again, though all the hosts of Mordor lay between us". The monument is surrounded by the flags of Rohan and Gondor. It is placed on the spot where the two kings and friends meet after the disembarkment of Elessar.

In front of the Memorial, and looking towars the West, you encounter the National Gondor War Cementery. Thousands of Gondor soldiers lay here. Men from Anorien, Lebennin, Lossarnach, Dol Amroth, Belfalas, Anfalas, Morthond, .... In the middle of it, lay grouped in a pedestal the lords of Gondor who fell here: Forlong, Duilin, Derufin, Hirluin, and Halbarad of Arnor.

Closing this center of the battlefield is the Royal Museum of the Pelennor Fields. It has many rooms explaining the battle as well as the whole war. There are films, maps, and artistic representations of the battle from great artists like Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and John Howe; uniforms of Gondor, Rohan, dunedain of the north, and of Mordor, Morgul, Harad, Rhun and Khand; models of the pontoon bridge over the Anduin, siege towers and catapults; an skeleton of a mumakil, flags of Morgul and Harad, a barge used to cross the river, and the iron cast head of "Grond"; and finally the star of the collection, the iron crown of the King of Minas Morgul.

Besides this core of the visit, there are many locations to see. The other main group of monuments are situated four km. To the north, on the side of the Minas Tirith-Ithilien road. They are on the place where King Theoden was killed, and Eowyn won honour slaying the Witch-King of Morgul, Lord of the Nazgul and commander of the Morgul Army. The memory of Theoden is kept by a huge iron sculpture representing him smashing the cavalry of Harad, and on the pedestal are four scenes of that day, the King leading his army, dying under his horse, the hobbit Meriadoc Brandybuck striking the Nazgul from behind, and finally Eowyn killing him.

A few meters from here, you can see the tomb of Snowmane, the horse of the king, which was the cause of his death, because Snowmane fell dead over Theoden, killing him. Finally, besides it is the "Black Spot", a walled bare space where it’s said the black Nazgul beast was burned.

The end of the day must be devoted to the visit of Minas Tirith, but we will concentrate on the Battle Tour, wich consists in the walls, the Door of Gondor and the Houses of Healing. The walls of the city can be visited with a guided tour, and from there you can see, marked in the ground with white stones, the location of the fire trenches set by Morgul army. The New Door of Gondor was built after the war by dwarves from Erebor directed by Gimli of Aglarond. Admire its fine mithril coating and plaques about various scenes of the war and the coronation of King Elessar. After crossing the Door, you are in Gandalf Square, with an statue of the famous Istari in the moment that he defied the King of Morgul. The place wich was the hight tide mark of the armies of Mordor is remembered by a dark stone (from Ephel Duath) in the pavement.

The last monument to visit in this tour is the monument to King Elessar the Healer, set in the Houses of Healing Park. It consists in a leaf of athelas crafted in mithril and gold.

The main city in the south of Gondor is Pelargir, and on its docks, besides Harad Bridge, the " Southern Wind", is open to the public. I mean the former Humbar flagship used by the King to send reinforcements to Minas Tirith during the Pelennor Fields battle. On board is an exibit about the Humbar Navy and the combats on Lebennin and Pelargir.

In Linhir is a monument to the heroic fight of Angbor, Lord of Lamedon, who stopped the Humbar landings until King Elessar arrived with the Death Army.

This was the final movement of the War, and ended with the destruction of the One Ring and the Dark Lord of Mordor. But the military operations where rather desesperate, and the Joint Rohan-Gondor Army which advanced through North Ithilien hoped no victory. The only battle of the campaign (apart from minor skirmishes in Ithilien) was the one at the Doors of Mordor.

The landscape of this battlefield is absolutely desolated, and it’s now called Last Battle Desert. On the two hills where the allied army resisted the onslaught, now is the Memorial of the Last Fight. Compared to the one in the Pelennor, this is simple. It has the flag of Rohan on one hill, and the flag of Gondor on the other. In the middle stands a stone column remembering the combats of that day, and how they disguised the actions of the Ringbearer.

The Morannon wall and gate has long been demolished, but you can visit the once called Fangs of Mordor, the twin forts of Carchost and Narchost. Carchost, the western one, was converted after the War in a temple of Eru, and in memory of all the fallen in the war. Narchost is a museum of the battle and has the tipical collection of Mordor weapons and shields (and maces of Olog-Hai), but also the weapons of Mouth of Sauron, the Commander of Mordor’s Army.

With the valley of Morgul still today a Military Zone, and forbidden to the public, you can only see the evil of Sauron in the Gorgoroth National Park. This park is directed jointly by Gondor and Nurn. Due to active volcanism the zone only could be visited in public transport. The buses leave from Udun Valley and in s some hours tour, you could see the former center of power of Mordor.

The road goes east from Udun, so you could see the Orodruin to the right at some distance. It’s not safe to go nearer because the risk of eruption and poison gases. The only stop is before the spot of the Barad-Dur. It was razed after the war, but some time later, it was constructed here a huge mount of dark stone in memorial to all the victims of Sauron and his servants. The place is still today quite frightening, some say by the still remaining evil of the Dark Lord.

The last visit of the guide is a much more beautiful. Cormallen is where the King and his allies celebrated the fall of Sauron and the end of the war. Today, apart of being the place where the King celebrates the new year and the center for visits to the Ithilien Woods National Park, its dedicated to the memory of the real hero of the war, the Ring Bearer, Frodo Baggins. In the Ring Bearer Hall, the whole history of the Ring, the Baggins family and the Journeys of Frodo its explained. There are the Lorien ropes used by he and Sam Gamgee, their clothes, the coat of mithril-mail (thanks to the Mathom Museum in the Shire), and the dishes they used the night they spend with Lord Faramir. Also you can see the orc clothes used by them in Mordor.