Chambon-sur-Lignon Remembrance Site

Set between Haute-Loire and Ardèche, the area has a strong Protestant presence and a long tradition of welcoming people, whether tourists or refugees. During the Second World War, in particular, it took in Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. In 1940, hundreds of people were saved by residents and relief organisations working with them. In the farms, boarding houses and reception centres on the plateau, refugees could thus resume normal life, often with false identities. From 1942, as the anti-Jewish restrictions were tightened, more secrecy had to be used, and escape lines to Switzerland were developed.

In summer 1944, the refugees gradually began leaving the area. When a commemorative plaque was laid here in 1979 by a group of former refugees, this unique story finally began to be told. In 1989, Yad Vashem presented an honorary diploma to the “residents of Chambon-sur-Lignon and the neighbouring communes”, making this area an international symbol of the commitment of the “Righteous” during the Holocaust.

The Remembrance Site’s permanent trail offers an insight into that commitment to civilian, spiritual and armed resistance. A wide range of displays present reproductions of many photographs and archive documents. The visit is complemented by a remembrance room, where touchscreens offer visitors the chance to read first-hand accounts from relief workers, refugees and Resistance members.

Run by the Shoah Memorial since September 2020, the Remembrance Site does not have its own archive conservation centre, but has many digital archives containing photos, testimonies, letters, etc., which are accessible to researchers and families on request.

To pass on this story to as many people as possible, in particular young people, the Remembrance Site’s education service does a lot of outreach work with schools. In permanent contact with the national education ministry through a “relay teacher”, the service organises visits and workshops geared to different age groups and course programmes.

Finally, every year the Remembrance Site offers a rich cultural events programme, including a temporary exhibition – Marc Chagal, d’une rive à l’autre (Marc Chagall, from one shore to the other), 16 June to 2 October 2022 – talks, meetings and film screenings. These events offer a deeper insight into topics associated with the Second World War, the Holocaust, the Resistance and local history.

Find out more :

• The Remembrance Site’s website: www.memoireduchambon.com