During World War II, Grenoble was part of the free zone until November 1942, when it was first occupied by the Italians until November 1943, then by the Germans until its liberation in August 1944. Isère is one of the French departments where movements, networks and underground Resistance maquis were particularly active.

From 1940, individual initiatives came together to form more structured movements and networks. Close to Grenoble, wide valleys surrounded by mountains and forests were a favourable geographical location for the growth of the maquis: originally maquis refuges, they would soon become combatant maquis.

The most prominent, the maquis of Vercors, should not eclipse the others in Oisans, Chartreuse, Belledonne, and Grésivaudan. The men and women who stood up to the occupiers paid a heavy price for their courageous engagement, and many of them encountered the tragic fate of deportation.

Due to the sheer number and effectiveness of the wide-ranging operations led against the enemy, Grenoble was the second of five cities honoured by the title of 'Compagnon de la Libération' in General De Gaulle's decree of 4 May 1944.

Under the tutelage of the Isère departmental council since the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Liberation, the Museum of Resistance and Deportation of Isère highlights the specific nature of the Resistance in this department of France. As well as the temporary exhibits and special events that are organised from time to time, the museum houses a permanent exhibit that offers the visitor a chronological presentation of events, developed according to themes aiming to situate Isère in the historical context of the era.

The museum tour is based on five themes: the beginning of the Resistance, the maquis, repression, the restoration of the Republic and the values of the Resistance. More than five thousand items, objects and documents from the archives illustrating daily life and the stuggle against the occupiers, reconstituting places and ambience. The visitor is invited to conclude this emotional journey with a moment's reflection on the values of the Resistance.

The museum's documentation centre is open to researchers and students as well as the general public. The computerised inventory of collections has led to the development of a library containing more than a thousand works, sound archives, and a photo and film library. The museum also offers a teaching area set aside for educators and their students before or after visiting the museum. It can be used for presentations and workshops on World War II, and offers a multimedia room and a resource and information centre for students to prepare their work on the period. Texts specifically directed at younger generations and school groups are present thoughout the museum visit. They are designed to help the youngest visitors understand the themes addressed by emphasising the links between the different elements on show in the museum and the major issues and concepts covered (especially in the context of the school curriculum).

Museum of Resistance and Deportation of Isère

14 rue Hébert - 38000 Grenoble 

Tél. 04 76 42 38 53 - Fax : 04 76 42 55 89
 

musee.mdr@cg38.fr

www.resistance-en-isere.fr

Getting there By motorway: - Motorways Lyon-Grenoble, Valence-Grenoble: Grenoble-Bastille exit - Motorway Chambéry-Grenoble: Grenoble-Centre-ville exit - Tramway: line A / Bus: Verdun bus stop - Car park: Place de Verdun or rue Hébert Opening times:

The museum is open every day except Tuesdays, 25 December, 1 January and 1 May. - From 1 September to 30 June, 9:00-18:00; - From 1 July to 31 August, 10:00-19:00. Visits: Free guided visits for individual visitors on the first Sunday of every month starting at 14:30. Group guided visits by appointment only.

Around 1610, the Lord of Boisgeffroi, André Barrin, built a double corps de logis. This structure, which was renovated, converted and redesigned by its various owners, would go on to become the current Command Post of the North West region.

Until its sale in December 1702 by André Barrin's daughter, the mansion remained in the possession of this rich family.

The new owner was René Le Prestre, seigneur of Lézonnet, and the mansion was renamed de Lézonnet in 1731, before becoming the Hôtel de Châteaugiron in 1733, since René Le Prestre had acquired the domain of Châteaugiron among others. He converted the original structure, giving it its current appearance.

In 1797, the mansion was sold when the de Lézonnet family left Rennes. Throughout the first half of the 19th century, the mansion was owned by the Comtesse de Martel and her son-in-law Alexandre Roznyvinen de Piré, who lived in half of the building, with tenants occupying the rest.

In 1860, Princess Napoléone Élisa Bacciochi, Napoleon's niece, bought the hotel and restored it to a single residence in its original splendour. It is her we have to thank for the sumptuous inlaid floors and the chandeliers as well as the staircase and pedimented canopy on the facade. Before her death in 1869, she bequeathed the mansion on the rue de Corbin to the imperial prince.

A military property

Under Napoléon III, the War Department bought the Hôtel de Châteaugiron on the 31st July 1869.

At the fall of the Second Empire, the mansion became the headquarters of the 16th infantry division and later of the 10th Army Corps and the 10th Regional Division.

From 1871 up to the modern day, the mansion has continuously been the headquarters and residence of successive generals, except for the period where the property was occupied by the German authorities (20th June 1940 - 4th August 1944).

After the Liberation, the mansion was the headquarters of the 3rd Regional Division and then of the Defence of Rennes Military Authorities.

In 2000, it became the command post of the North West Region.
 

This historical monument, administered by the Ministry of Defence, is part of a Defence Culture Protocol, signed on 17th September 2005.

Ministère de la défense

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

A private initiative, the wrecks museum in Port-en-Bessin, in Calvados, opened its doors in 1990. It exhibits submarines sunk during the landing and retrieved from the sea floor. At the end of the Second World War, a number of wrecks littered the sea bed and jutted out of the sea along the Norman coasts, representing a permanent danger to vessels. All of these wrecks were given up by the allies to the French government which is committed to their removal.

Consequently, contracts and bills of sale were bequeathed by estates to countless companies. Massive demolition yards were set up along the coast and millions of tonnes of scrap iron were extracted from the sea over the 20 years following the landing. In 1970, Jacques Lemonchois was appointed by the State to bring to the surface a number of wrecks that presented a significant danger and obstacle to navigating vessels.

A difficult and perilous operation that became a great feat of performance for Jacques and his team. Through their passion, they managed to save from demolition, and preserve using a special treatment process, all of the wrecks which you can see in the museum today. They are dedicated to the memory of all those men who paid with their lives for the mammoth Operation Neptune.

Musée des épaves sous-marines (Submarine Wrecks Museum)

Route de Bayeux 14520 Commes on the D6 to Bayeux, exit at the town centre.

Tel: +33 (0)2 31 21 17 06

Opening times and days 10 am – 12 pm and 2-6 pm weekends and public holidays in May, 10 am – 12 pm and 2-6 pm June to September

Annual holidays: October to April

Admission: €6; €3 (visitors aged 7-16)

Source: Musée des épaves sous-marines (Submarine Wrecks Museum)

Set up on the initiative of the Spahis Association, the Spahis Museum in La Horgne (Ardennes) shows the importance of the North African troops, and the Spahis in particular, in French military history.

Its site also has significance. Between 13 and 15 May 1940, in the village of La Horgne, the 3rd Mounted Spahis Brigage, held back the 1st Armoured division of the German army in Gudérian.

The museum is split into six key displays:

Horses, man's bestfriend, in life and at death; the men in the Spahi regiments, their origins, culture and different faiths; the sociability of the Spahis who forged a commendable community; the Ardennes in 1940 and the start of the Second World War; the Battle of La Horgne, a dramatic but symbolic episode in the missions undertaken; the memory and recognition of the sacrifice of these soldiers.

The museum also displays fighting uniforms and ceremonial dress of the Spahis, an officer’s saddle, a variety of everyday objects used by the Spahis, weapons and military decorations.

Opening times

Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 15 May to 15 September.

Every day in Jult and August from 10 am to 12 pm and 2-7 pm.

History and Learning Centre – Spahis Museum

08430 La Horgne

Tel: +33 (0)3 24 35 68 42 / 24 57 32 04

Le Burnous – Spahis Association

18, rue de Vézelay 75008 Paris, France

Email: le.burnous@wanadoo.fr

Le Burnous

Sites and sources: http://crdp.ac-reims.fr ; http://legioncavalerie.free.fr ; http://perso.wanadoo.fr/le.burnous ; http://www.ardennes1940aceuxquiontresiste.org

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.

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

The Arthur Batut museum located in Labruguière in the Tarn département pays tribute to the work of one of the pioneers of aerial photography, the first photographer after Nadar to have taken pictures of his region. Aerial photography or kite aerophotography has existed for over a century. We owe the first aerial view to Félix Tournachon, known as Nadar (1820-1910). This first image was taken from a height of 520 metres from a hydrogen balloon in 1858. Born in 1846 Arthur Batut spent most of his life in Labruguière at his property called "En Laure". His taste for research gave him an interest in archaeological history. But it was photography that finally harnessed his energy. He undertook research into autochromes, stereoscopy and photography from kites. Arthur Batut built his own kite. It was a flat diamond-shape 2.50 metres by 1.75. The frame was wood, covered in paper and reinforced at the corners with tough cloth. This kite had a stabilising tail made of paper. It was equipped with a camera made from cardboard and cork. In the spring of 1888, in the Tarn département, it was this device that Arthur Batut (1846-1918) took the first aerial photo (in 8x8cm format) by kite.

This observation and intelligence went on to be used in the First World War as a valuable complement to the work of aviators. These days, although aerial photography by aeroplane or helicopter and remote sensing by satellite are commonplace, the technique using kites or balloons is still used in specific applications for taking low-altitude aerial images: the environment, architecture, archaeology, town planning, etc. The Arthur Batut Museum at Labruguière, between Castres and Mazamet, was founded by Serge Nègre in 1988 to display the works of this pioneer. Opened on the centenary of the invention of kite aerophotography, the museum displays the collections donated by the inventor's family for public exhibition. The collection includes photographic equipment, glass plates and original prints. Examples of kites are displayed in the main room. There are also further examples of Batut's ingenuity such as the tinder wick used as a shutter release.
Batut's correspondence with his peers and detractors completes the portrait of the inventor. New life is brought to the museum with an exhibition gallery that regularly displays the work of contemporary creators of historic images or reports.
Musée Arthur Batut(Arthur Batut Museum) Kite photography 9 ter, rue Gambetta 81290 Labruguière Tel: +33 (0)5 63 50 22 18/05 63 70 34 01 Open 3-6pm, closed on Tuesday Local Tourist Office(Office municipal du tourisme) Place de l'Hôtel de Ville 81290 Labruguière Tel/fax: +33 (0)5.63.50.17.21 E-mail: ot-labruguiere@wanadoo.fr

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 Musée de la Batellerie spans two storeys of the Tour de l'Horloge (Clock Tower), and a loudspeaker system around the themed exhibits provides background information about ships and shipping on and around the Garonne. The Garonne river basin has served as a trading route since ancient times. The Garonne river proper, however, dominated the local transport business until the mid-19th century (the land by the river running parallel to it was damp, boggy, derelict and wildlife-overridden, and hence unviable from November to July every year). Colbert, the mastermind behind France's naval supremacy, built several vessels in this area (and hence hiring local hands). Auvillar locals enlisted and set off for the American campaign between 1790 and 1792. Demand from the military side sagged in the 18th century, nudging local seafarers into shipping. Growth in the French West Indies earned Bordeaux a prominent place among France's merchants ports. There were two types of ports - which were also called passages or cales (docks): the ones for where merchandise was loaded and unloaded, and the ones where port workers lived.

Auvillar was one of the latter. There were 49 families of sailors living there in 1789. Auvillar port grew around an old toll (the taille foraine or travers, which documents dating back as far as 1204 mention). Local viscounts were entitled to levy a tax on goods travelling on foreign vessels or through Auvillar port. Fermiers shuttled people from one bank to another. Regulations stipulated that they were not to carry more than 50 people or to use their ferries between dusk and dawn. They did well (all the more so as Auvillar did not have a bridge until 1841).
Boat mills date back to the dawn of our age, and stretched to most French rivers (and indeed rivers across Europe) in the Middle Ages. They stood astride two vessels (12-metre-long boats) and had a paddle wheel in the middle. As they were on the rivers, however, they got in boats' ways. A number of bylaws dating back to 1792 cornered them into specific spots and limited repair work. A 5 May 1835 edict by Ponts et Chaussées (the road and bridge authority) banned repair work on them altogether, and they predictably disappeared.
Inland sailors were gutsy and enthusiastic. They were completely at home on the rivers and commanded considerable respect. Their motto was something like "I may be foul on dry land, but over the waters I lord". They spent 12 to 16 hours a day on their boats and slept in riverside inns after dark. They had their own chapels in every port they called at. Most of those churches were dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron saint of river-farers and philosophers. They bought or made their own votive offerings, many of which ended up in these chapels. Most of them depicted war vessels. A number of them are in Auvillar Museum today. A painting of Sainte Catherine of Alexandria from the old town chapel is another attraction there.
Musée de la Batellerie Open weekends from 1 May to 31 October. Mairie (Town Hall) Place de la Halle 82340 Auvillar Tel: +33 (0) 563 39 57 33 Office de Tourisme (Tourist Office) Place de la Halle 82340 Auvillar Tel: +33 (0) 563 39 89 82 Fax: +33 (0) 563 39 89 82 Email: office.auvillar@wanadoo.fr