Following an inspection by Vauban in Toulon in 1679, the fort des Vignettes was constructed between 1692 and 1697 to prevent landings on the beach and keep any sailboats likely to try to drop anchor in the harbour at a distance. Destroyed in 1707, it was rebuilt, almost identically, in 1708 under the name of Fort Saint-Louis.

During the siege of 1707, the fort, under the command of Captain Daillon, was seized in an attack by Austro-Savoyard batteries positioned on the hills. After nine days, the state of ruin of the fort forced its defenders to retreat to the Great Tower (Royal Tower) after having set fire to the powder stores. The fort was rebuilt almost identically in 1708 under the name of Fort Saint-Louis. In 1743, it was armed with nine 24-pound canons. In 1847, it was armed with three 30-pound canons and three 22 cm howitzers, positioned behind an earth parapet encompassing the stone parapet. Developments in artillery led to the disarming of the fort at the end of the 19th century, as it was impossible to site large calibre canons there. It then housed an observation and command post for the detonation of the electrical mines that formed a barricade of the large harbour. It later became the headquarters of the officers' nautical club until 2001. It has appeared on the secondary list of historic monuments since 1948.
The fort is in the form of a semi-circular battery, whose gorge is closed by a casemated tower forming a redoubt and capable of bearing canons. Access to the fort is via an elevated gate, with a drawbridge in front. The aim of this device was to make invasion by foot soldiers difficult. Next to the entrance gate, a plaque affixed to the ramparts tells of the heroic conduct of the defenders of the fort in 1707. The plan of the battery is almost semi-circular. It is about fifty metres in diameter. Nine canon embrasures pierce the parapet, directed towards the sea. The embrasures are finished in brick so as not to splinter into dangerous shrapnel in the event of an enemy strike. In the middle of the 19th century, the parapet was incorporated into a solid earth parapet. It was returned to its original state during the 20th century. The back of the platform is protected by two walls forming a parados to mask the battery from blows from the land-side. The plan of the tower is asymmetrical. On the land-side, it is in the form of a flat bastion to flank the fort with parallel fire from the ramparts. On the coast-side, it is semi-circular so that artillery positioned on the terrace could comb a wide sector. The tower has two vaulted levels. The underground level held a water tank and a store. On the upper floor, a large vaulted chamber was used as accommodation for 24 men. You can still see the edge of the water tank. Access onto the terrace is via a spiral staircase.
Fort Saint Louis is not open to the public. This historic monument, managed by the Ministry of Defence, is covered by a Culture and Defence protocol signed on the 17th September 2005. Click here to see the list of other buildings...
Ministry of Defence General Secretariat for Administration Direction de la Mémoire, du Patrimoine et des Archives( Management of Remembrance, Heritage and Archives) 14 rue Saint-Dominique 00450 Armées E-mail: dmpa-sdace-bacm@sga.defense.gouv.fr Toulon Tourist Information Office Place Raimu 83000 Toulon

The Museum of 20th Century History is more than a memorial about the August 1944 episode in Estivareilles; it is place to ponder and discuss contemporary issues, in particular human rights, in the light of past events. The museographic exhibition has been designed to be accessible to all, especially young people. Estivareilles, a town of 500 people 900 metres above sea level in the Saint-Bonnet-le-Château area, is in the Forez Mountains and the Loire department, 40 km from Saint-Etienne, 60 km from Le Puy-en-Velay and 100 km from Lyon.

A museum, a place, a village In the heart of the town, the former convent buildings of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, houses the new Museum of the 20th Century. The north wing's renovation marks the end of the restoration project of the site, which now includes the town hall, rental housing units, tourist accommodations, a car park and a central garden that gives the complex a sense of unity.

An amazing achievement: the museum of history of the twentieth century Estivareilles, a hotbed of resistance

In late August 1944, the small town of Estivareilles trembled. A heavily armed German column had left the Romeuf barracks in Puy-en-Velay and was bearing down on St. Etienne. The St Etienne-Le Puy train track was cut at Pertuiset and, due to the actions of the Resistance, the main roads were unsafe. The Nazi column, desperate and willing to do anything, took the ridge roads, harassed by Wodli's F.T.P.F. resistance forces in Saint-Paulien, Bellevue-la-Montagne, Chomelix and Craponne-sur-Arzon. Estivareilles. The Loire Secret Army took its position. Local Resistance fighters converged on the small town in Haut-Forez. After the Liberation of St. Etienne on 19 August, the population was in grave danger. And Commandant Marey (head of the Loire Secret Army) decided to stop the Germans in Estivareilles! The surrender was on 22 August. 1984: creation of a museum Forty years later, the departmental museum of the Secret Army and the Resistance opened to the public in the presence of Lucien Neuwirth, a major Resistance figure and president of the Loire General Council. This project, which the veterans of the Loire Secret Army (a non-profit association) initiated and carried out, is supported by Estivareilles' elected officials.

Modernisation and reorganisation: the Museum of 20th Century History
On 21 May 1999, Jean-Pierre Masseret, Defence Minister with responsibility for veterans' affairs, inaugurated the new museum. Founded in 1984 by the Loire Secret Army veterans, the museum was entirely renovated in 1999 to open up to new generations. The Museum of 20th Century History was designed as a place of remembrance but also as a cultural and educational institution. It is more than a memorial about the August 1944 episode in Estivareilles; it is a place to think about and discuss contemporary issues in the light of past events. The museographic exhibition has been designed with the goal in mind of being accessible to everybody, especially young people. Come and (re)live the adventure of the 20th century by visiting modern, interactive museums. The displays include historical objects, sound tracks, newsreels, pictures and videos adapted to the whole family. The museum's storerooms contain precious journals and "scrapbooks" made by the Resistance members themselves. The first-hand accounts map out a geography of personal memory that, combined with others, make up our collective memory - in other words, history. Showing a few powerful videos of the last surviving veterans lets us pay tribute to the fighters while passing down to younger generations the values of the Resistance and showing how a historical event becomes part of the nation's heritage. The museum's storerooms also contain the Charreton collection, a group of items from the Dora-Commando camp at Buchenwald. A former camp inmate gathered these documents during his many journeys of remembrance back to the former camp. The museum offers a year-round programme of temporary exhibitions, lectures and meetings.
 

The museum's cultural project Four key goals underpin the museum's cultural project: Testifying. Today we are lucky to work with generations who can remember the first half of the 20th century, in particular Resistance members and former concentration camp inmates. Their involvement is essential and precious. The light they cast on history gives our thoughts meaning, sensitivity, feeling and humanity. Explaining. The museum's historical, chronological approach to the entire century enables us to understand the facts, reasons and dates. The Resistance and the horror of the Deportation stand in the middle of the 20th century, between the emergence of industrial societies and the First World War at one end and European integration on the other. The museum puts all these events into perspective and context in order to help us understand history better and learn the lessons that the past has to teach us. Transmitting. This new place of history will pass down to young generations knowledge about the 20th century's major conflicts and events, but also to perpetuate the memory of the former Resistance members and the ideals for which they fought and died.
 

Reflecting. Lastly, by re-interpreting our past, we seek to question the present and today's world. This site is more than a place of remembrance and a history lesson; it offers testimonials by people who actually took part in the events and the viewpoints of historians to help foster a debate on our present in the light of the Resistance and of past events. A state-of-the-art museum The thoroughly modern museum has been designed to recount the 20th century in an attractive, instructive way. Interactive systems, sound recordings, videos and lighting combine with historical rigor in the treatment of the 20th century's darkest days. Visitors become actors and appropriate the site, objects and presentation. Young people, a special public The museum wants to really reach young people. That is a hard goal to achieve because they have stubborn prejudices about museums. The displays, education department and teaching kit have been designed with that in mind. Each year for the "National Résistance and Deportation Competition" in middle and high schools, the museum produces a dossier to help students in their research. This kit, which is non-exhaustive of course, features texts, documents (adapted to the subject of the competition) and a summary bibliography that can be consulted at the museum. The museum's archives, library and video library are open to the participants by appointment.
 

Temporary exhibitions The temporary exhibitions help to implement the museum's cultural policy in the public sphere. For example: The Voices of Memory "I remember our dying friends asking us, If you make it back, promise you'll talk about us...'" (Violette Maurice. Resistance member deported to - Ravensbrück, block N.N.)
 

2005 -1945 "60th anniversary of the camps' liberation" As part of the 60th anniversary of the camps' liberation, the Museum of 20th Century History wanted to pay tribute to the deportees of the Loire Department and, through them, to all the deportees. Moving testimonials by the last surviving witnesses of those unspeakable horrors will have helped us better understand what the deportees endured in the Nazi concentration camps. Poems, songs, drawings and even making everyday objects were acts of Resistance in themselves (possessing personal belongings was forbidden). 1914-1918 - crossing glances
Looking back at the Great War, 90 years later To open our cultural season (spring 2006), we are offering visitors an exhibition devoted to the Great War presenting drawings, paintings and watercolours made between 1914 and 1918. At the same time, local contemporary artists expressed their vision of the same event, 90 years later.
 

"1944-2004" -60th anniversary of the fighting in Estivareilles and the liberation of the Loire Department. This exhibition -a "tribute to the Resistance members" - traces the "battle of Estivareilles" from the widest possible point of view by putting those days in August 1944 into the context of the war's history on the national, regional and local levels (Puy-en-Velay, Givors, Saint Etienne, etc.). A series of conferences, a guided tour of the places where the fighting took place, meetings with Resistance veterans and the publication of Estivareilles 1944 - mémoire d'un été singulier (Estivareilles 1944 - Remembering a Singular Summer) putting the "battle of Estivareilles" into the context of the war's history on the national and local scale marked the occasion.
 

Museum of 20th Century History - Resistance and Deportation

Rue du couvent - 42380 Estivareilles

Tel.: 04.77.50.29.20

E-mail: museehistoire.estivareilles@wanadoo.fr

Opening hours and rates

The museum is open every day, all year-round from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Adult : 3.10 € Heritage Passport: 2 € Child (8 - 16 years old): 1.50 € Child (under 8): Free A document explaining the visit is provided for 6- to 13-year-old children.

Montmorency Fort's high elevation made it a choice site for transmissions. The 19th-century fort is noteworthy for having housed the first station of Hertzian cables.

Fort de Montmorency

Quartier des Champeaux Rue du Fort

95160 Montmorency

Tel: +33 (0)1 30 40 64 75

E-mail : op@ba921.air.defense.gouv.fr

Secrétariat Général pour l'Administration Direction de la Mémoire, du Patrimoine et des Archives

14 rue Saint-Dominique 00450 Armées

E-mail : dmpa-sdace-bacm@sga.defense.gouv.fr

Ville de Montmorency

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

In the 16th century, Toulon harbour was surrounded by a system of defences designed primarily to protect access to it by sea and then - as the range of artillery increased - by land. After 1524, the commercial port of Toulon was protected by the "Big Tower" or Royal Tower. In 1634, Richelieu convinced Louis XIII to build another tower on Balaguier Point, opposite the Royal Tower, thus enabling the harbour entrance to be effectively locked. The aim was still to protect Toulon harbour, but more particularly, a small arsenal founded under Henri IV and which Richelieu, First Minister of the Navy, believed would grow in size. In 1679, Vauban was appointed to the Board for Fortifications.

The arsenal left the galley base at Marseilles and moved to the heart of the new dock. As part of the new design for fortifications, the canon tower of Balaguier was equipped with the ramparts, walls, accommodation and powder stores which give the fort its current appearance. In late August 1793, when the English entered Toulon, Balaguier became the target for the observers. Initially a refuge for sailors refusing to accept the English occupation, Balaguier went on to be occupied by coalition troops. The young republican artillery commander, Napoleon Bonaparte, understood the strategic importance of the location of the second element of the harbour protection. After two months of inconclusive fighting, his plan was finally accepted and, leading his troops into the attack by land, he took Balaguier Fort on 17th December 1793. The republican canons were then turned on the English fleet, which withdrew. After the Fachoda crisis, Balaguier Fort was rearmed one last time. Then, no longer of use, it was rented privately between the wars. Occupied by the Germans in 1942, it was liberated in 1944. After restoration, it has been a museum of maritime and local history since 1970.
Since 17 March 1975 it has been on the inventory of additional historical monuments. Balaguier Tower, or the "Little Tower" as opposed to the Royal or "Big Tower" was designed according to Richelieu's plans. The structure originally included a 19.5 m diameter canon tower. The basement contained a water cistern and magazines for powder and provisions. Access to the outside was via a drawbridge. This level consists of a vaulted room providing quarters for around forty men. The upper section of the tower was equipped with a canon platform protecting the harbour entrance from eight embrasures and a covered walkway whose parapet was broken by firing positions for close defence. On either side of the tower itself, batteries were built to provide grazing fire from parapets equipped with embrasures.
This building has been entrusted to the Ministry of Defence. France's Defence and Culture ministries signed an agreement to restore it, on 17 September 2005.
Ministère de la défense(Ministry of Defence) Secrétariat Général pour l'Administration (General Bureau for Administration) Direction de la Mémoire, du Patrimoine et des Archives (Remembrance, Heritage and Archives Department) 14 rue Saint-Dominique 00450 Armées E-mail: dmpa-sdace-bacm@sga.defense.gouv.fr

The Chapel of Saint Joan was part of the Convent of the Annunciation founded in 1503 by Joan of France, daughter of Louis XI.

The monastery’s churchyard was acquired by the city of Bourges in 1834 and was transferred to the State in 1857. It was then assigned to the army. The Chapel of Saint Joan was part of the Convent of the Annunciation founded in 1503 by Joan of France (1464-1505), daughter of Louis XI and Charlotte de Savoie, also known as Joan of Valois, who was canonised by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

The choirs

The inside was separated into two nearly equal parts by a dividing wall.
The first part, to the west and lit by small windows, had the nun’s choir on the first floor, forming a tribune. It could be reached by a winding stairway that still exists today and which also provided access to the convent buildings.
A second choir is on the ground floor for the Brothers, whom Saint Joan dreamt of having join the Sisters of the Annunciation for the convent’s religious services.

The second part of the chapel was made up of the area reserved to the faithful and the sanctuary whose shape follows that of a regular semi-hexagon.



 

The attic space

The wooden vault, currently hidden by a ceiling, followed the curve of the frame in the form of a pointed barrel vault.

The girder trusses were visible; the ends of their tie beams sculpted with phantasmagorical heads, some of which can still be seen, swallowing the beams. All of this, which can be admired in the chapel’s attic space, was painted in colours that have been fairly well preserved. The panelling is painted a greyish white and the joint covers in blue, red and white, the colours of the Sisters of the Annunciation’s habits.

The pinnacles

The main entrance door with its triangular arch is crowned with two pinnacles and an ogee arch with slopes decorated with thistle leaves. Around the central finial, the initials of the Virgin Mary’s ten virtues are sculpted in capital Gothic letters. In the 17th century, the tips of the two pinnacles were cut off to install fire-pot finials and the central finial of the ogee arch was eliminated to make a niche where a statue of the Virgin Mary was probably placed.


The monastery churchyard

In the 18th century, the Monastery of the Annunciation’s churchyard was cut off to build the current Avenue du 95ème-de-Ligne and the entrance to the convent was equipped with a large, round-arched portal. In 1793, the Sisters of the Annunciation were dispersed and their belongings sold. The monastery churchyard was acquired by the city of Bourges in 1834 and was transferred to the State in 1857. It was assigned to the army.


Refurbishment of the chapel

The refurbishment work on the chapel undertaken by the Engineering Department enabled it, in May 1961, to once again be used for religious services and for the military chaplain of Bourges. The departmental military delegate, the garrison office and the CIRAT (Army Information and Recruitment Centre) are located in the building.


Lignières Parish Priest

Rue Jeanne de France 18160 Lignières

Téléphone : 02 48 60 00 61

Télécopie : 02 48 60 18 92

Ministry of Defence

Secrétariat Général pour l'Administration Direction de la Mémoire, du Patrimoine et des Archives

14 rue Saint-Dominique 00450 Armées

E-mail : dmpa-sdace-bacm@sga.defense.gouv.fr

The Haut-Languedoc historical Museum of Protestantism at Ferrières in the Tarn département offers a historical journey from the 16th century to the present day with strong emphasis on local aspects. Each year it deals with a specific theme through exhibitions or conferences and works closely with Toulouse University. Haut-Languedoc was deeply affected by the Reformation in the 16th century and by long resistance that is still preserved in oral memories. These are also marked by the persecution suffered by Protestants in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Classified as a Museum of France under the Law n°2002-5 passed on 4 January 2002, the Haut-Languedoc Museum of Protestantism is managed by a charitable association connected to the French Protestant History Society. It offers the chance to find out about this subject through the Edict of Nantes, the torment endured through the Revolution, the Resistance - in particular the part played by this theologically-active region - to the creation of the good works and societies that marked French Protestantism in the 19th and 20th centuries, and more recently its role as a host during the Second World War. For almost 40 years (it was founded in 1967), the Haut-Languedoc Museum of Protestantism at Ferrières is a place for the conservation and display of objects and works (mostly donated) connected with the history of Protestantism in the Haut-Languedoc region. The Museum, located in the Maison du Luthier, offers visitors a permanent exhibition, presenting the rich, varied and troubled story from the 16th century to the present day, and a temporary exhibition with a different theme each year, linked to current affairs or society that encourages thought and debate (expo 2004: "Religion and religious violence from the 16th century to the present day").
The permanent exhibition covers five rooms and displays objects, works, engravings and paintings. The first room, which is dominated by an impressive wooden throne from the Revel Temple, is dedicated to the 16th century Reformation; it features portraits of the Reformers and an important collection of Bibles (from every era), including the oldest one in the museum's possession that dates from 1564, printed in Lyon by Jean de Tournes. Before moving on to the mezzanine, visitors find out about the 16th and 17th centuries and in particular the history of Saint-Bartholomew, the religious wars, Henri IV and the Edict of Nantes, as well as the development of spiritual and intellectual life through the emergence of the Protestant Academies.
The room dedicated to the Wilderness offers visitors the chance to admire some of the museum's finest pieces: a collapsible throne, religious articles from the Wilderness, méreaux, a model of a galley, and engravings depicting the Calas and Sirven affairs. The museum then covers the Restoration and expansion of Protestantism in the 19th century with the reconstruction of places of worship and buildings, social and educational activities, as well as the missionary side to Protestantism (presentation of a projection lantern and glass photographic plates), without forgetting the industrial adventure experienced in the Mazamet-Castres area.
The visit ends with a display of a regional and national portrait of Protestantism, showing the vitality of the Reformed Church, and especially the role of Protestants, in particular from La Montagne, in the Resistance and protection of Jews. The Museum Association also manages a library, with over 14,000 works (Bibles, Psalters, theological works, etc) and archive documents among the most significant in France on this topic and containing some very old works. Not forgetting the genealogy section, which has so far listed some 40,000 birth, marriage and death certificates. Elsewhere, the summer season is marked by a variety of events. For the last two years the Association has organised the "Estivales de Ferrières" festival, providing events around the museum's themes: A cycle of conferences linked to the temporary exhibition. Themed walks around Ferrières in the Montagnol Forest. In June 2004, a concert. The theme of the 2005 temporary exhibition "Secularism in France". Featuring 10 panels, it was made by the services of the Chairmanship of the National Assembly and Historian Valentine Zuber You will also find registers and documents issued by the Montagne parish laying down their position on the proposed Act separating Church and State.
Musée du Protestantisme en Haut-Languedoc(Haut-Languedoc Museum of Protestantism) Maison du Luthier 81260 Ferrières (Tarn) Reception: +33 (0)5.63.74.05.49 Office: +33 (0)5.63.73.45.01 E-mail: secretariat@mpehl.org Opening times From July to 18 September: Tuesday and Sunday 2-6pm, other days 10am-12pm and 3-7pm. Easter to All-Saints' Day: 2-6pm Sunday and public holidays. Other periods: on request Prices Entrance: €3 for adults, €1 for children, €2 for students and groups

Inaugurated on 12 April 1962 by General de Gaulle, then President of the Republic of France, the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation is a memorial to the 200,000 people deported from Vichy France and evokes certain characteristics of the concentration camps: imprisonment, oppression and impossible escape, the long process of attrition, the desire for extermination and abasement.

Designed by the architect Georges-Henri Pingusson, the vast, hexagonal, dimly-lit crypt opens onto the gallery covered by luminous rods representing the deported people killed in the camps and the ashes of an unknown deportee from Natzweiler-Struthof camp.

Either side of the crypt, two small galleries contain earth from the different camps and ashes brought back from the cremation ovens, enshrined in triangular urns.

All around, the names of the camps and excerpts from poems by Robert Desnos, Louis Aragon, Paul Eluard, Jean-Paul Sartre and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry are inscribed in red characters.

Every year, on the last Sunday of April, the Memorial is visited in honour of the National Day of Remembrance of the Victims and Heroes of the Deportation.

Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation
Square de l'Ile de France 75004 Paris
Tel - Fax: +33 (0)1 46 33 87 56

Opening times:

Open every day except Monday
1 October to 31 March: 10 am to 5 pm
1 April to 30 September: 10 am to 7 pm

Tours

Grounds and crypt: Free admission every day (see opening times above)
Upper rooms: on request from the Director of Important Memorial Sites in Ile-de-France.

Admission: Free

Duration of visit: 30 minutes (full tour): grounds, crypt and upper rooms)

Getting to the memorial
By metro: Line 1 - Saint Paul station or line 10 - Maubert Mutualité station
By road: Quai de la Râpée - Pont d'Austerlitz- turn right onto Quai Saint Bernard – continue along Quai de la Tournelle – turn right onto Pont de l'Archevêché-continue along Quai de l'Archevêché

Site officiel de la fondation pour la mémoire de la Shoah

Fondation pour la mémoire de la déportation

The Vabre Resistance Museum in the Tarn bears witness, through the exhibition of authentic documents, to the existence and organisation of a fighting Resistance unit during the Second World War. Vabre, a small mountain town in the Tarn department's northern end, is at the centre of a hollow relief following the narrow gorge formed by rivers in the Castres highlands. The Resistance and the Maquis were in their element there. The Vabre Resistance Museum displays weapons, objects, photographs and testimonials showing the daily life of the maquis, which was made up of Jews and former members of the French Protestant boy scout movement. Its leading figures were Pol-Roux (Guy de Rouville) and Robert Gamzon.

The museum's main themes include weapons, correspondence, intelligence, daily life (food supplies, accounting and weddings), propaganda, sabotage and the maquis' members (Pasteur Cadier, Marcel Guy, Marcel Doret, etc.).
Amicale des Maquis de Vabre Maison de la montagne 81330 Vabre Phone: +33 (0)5.63.50.40.50 Fax: +33 (0)5.63.50.41.33 Tourist Office Rue Vieille 81330 Vabre Phone: +33 (0)5.63.50.48.75 E-Mail: sivabre@voila.fr Opening times The museum is open four days a week by appointment in July and August

The Free Zone was free no longer by January 1943. German troops reached Montech and requisitioned several houses. Officers took over Cadars Chateau and the Kommandantur took over the Town Hall. The southern part of the forest was decreed zone interdite (off limits).

The villagers in the 10th Secret Army Company went underground on 5 June 1944. The Montech arm was run by Pierre Fourcade (alias Fournier), Messrs Granier and Rouaux (two retired army men), Pierre Delos, Armand Bonnet and René Clavel. They crossed the Garonne on a barge (there were guards on the bridges) and walked three nights to meet their peers from Finhan and Beaumont. Life in Montech went on as usual. The curfew began at 10.00 pm.

A fuel-storage facility in Montbartier was bombed on a number of occasions at the end of July. Two Resistants from Montricoux, André Jouany and Joseph Lespinet, were executed. Several explosions resounded through the forest on 19 August. The Baraquements de la Cellulose, an army camp housing German troops, was blown up in turn.

Cadars Chateau burned down. A German convoy was intercepted in La Vitarelle. 20-year-old Jean Lacaze was killed during the fierce fighting there on 20 August. Eight farm and village houses in Montech and Saint-Portier were burned down in retaliation.. The war years claimed ten of Montech's children.
 

Mairie (Town Hall)

Place de la Mairie - BP n° 5 82700 Montech

Tel: +33 (0) 563 64 82 44 - Fax +33 (0) 563 64 87 62

E-mail: mairie-montech@info82.com

"Garonne et Canal" Office de Tourisme (Tourist Office)

Place Jean Jaurès

Tel/Fax +33 (0) 563 64 16 32

e-mail: com.garonne.canal@wanadoo.fr