Musée de la Résistance en Bretagne

Les Hardys Behelec - 56140 Saint-Marcel

Tel.: +33 (0)2 97 75 16 90

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Its sizeable collection brings visitors into close contact with history.

Large numbers of objects, archive documents, materials, photographs and weaponry are displayed in three rooms: Occupation, Resistance, and Liberation and Remembrance.

Midway through the visit, a digital portrait from the Morvan “Digital Gallery” plunges visitors into the world of the maquis rural resistance groups.

The Occupation

The first room, on the Occupation, looks at patriotic feeling and the defence of Morvan from 1940, followed by the impact of the German Occupation: occupied towns and villages, restrictions on freedoms, rationing, requisitioning, Nazi repression, and so on.

The Resistance

In the face of German and Vichyist propaganda, the Resistance organised itself, with underground newspapers and pamphlets, brave acts by local personalities, etc.

This second room presents the first acts of resistance through to the formation of the maquis, through a variety of materials, photographs, weapons and clothing, and the assistance provided by the Allies (parachute drops, containers, letters, mannequins, etc.).

Liberation and Remembrance

Morvan played a strategic role in the liberation of the region.

The maquis liberated Morvan in September 1944, through acts of sabotage, fighting and pitched battles, represented here by photos, reconstructions and objects.

The visit ends with a look at remembrance and the philosophy of the Resistance, through photographs of expressions of remembrance, steles and monuments (poems, texts, letters, etc.).

Digital Gallery

“The Morvan Maquis” is a new digital portrait from Morvan’s “Digital Gallery”.

Situated at midway point in the permanent exhibition, “The Morvan Maquis” is an immersive projection space presenting daily life in the maquis.

In this space, a film is shown on two screens: one shows documents directly related to maquis life, while the other places events in the national and international context of the war.

The installation immerses the visitor in the world of the Morvan maquis, showing how they were organised on a day-to-day basis, and examining their actions, their camps, the roles played by their leaders, and the hunger, fear and courage involved.

From personal stories to major historical events, the portrait focuses on the people, both men and women, involved in these maquis groups, who ultimately played a key role in the liberation of France.

Educational activities

The museum makes an excellent contribution to curriculum requirements in history, history of art and civic education for schools and colleges. It offers students and teachers a practical approach to various themes specific to the Second World War, as well as the concepts of human rights, freedom, political engagement, tolerance and solidarity. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the values of the French Republic and the founding principles of European unity.

Finally, it offers students a practical insight into civic engagement.

Exhibitions, conferences, film screenings, national events (European Heritage Days, European Museum Night, etc.), ceremonies and more

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Educational offering (workshops, tailored visits, learning resources, etc.)

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Source : ©Musée de la Résistance en Morvan

Step into the fortress and see what the Resistance fighters' everyday lives were like. A symbolic walk from shadow to light... Vassieux "This is where the land of freedom begins" The history of France's first and biggest maquis. Unlike a museum of objects, the Memorial uses stage sets, images, sound and light. Integrated architecture This citadel embedded in the mountain harmoniously blends into the site's exceptional natural environment, leaving the hollow of a coomb free and intact. The camouflaged, vegetation-covered building recalls the maquisards' underground life. A powerful, highly evocative work The 1,200m2 space recreates the period's moods with a set of codes to decipher. Everything has been designed to help you understand and feel the maquisards' hopes and sorrows.

A universal message of vigilance and solidarity The Memorial is a commemorative monument, a place of remembrance and contemplation. It keeps the memory of the tragic events of July 1944 alive and pays homage to the men and women who fought for freedom. The thought-provoking exhibits feature documentaries and first-hand accounts: an analysis and understanding of human behaviour during acts of grandeur and of barbarism. The goals are to emphasize the universal value of what Vercors stands for and to make the message of resistance, of all resistance, heard by as many people as possible. Not all resistance leads to victory, but it always leads to dignity. Every year 37,000 people visit the Memorial (50% are children).
Become both a player and an onlooker during the visit: From shadow... Live the daily life of the French under the Occupation Feel their fear during the dark years (visual and sound environment). Understand the motives of those who rejected defeat. The sacrificed fortress: Witness the invasion of Vercors Fortress - moving model, original images "This is where the land of freedom begins" Symbolic rise in the Vercors The Corridor of Testimonials : recollections of the maquis veterans and inhabitants of Vercors - audio and video room Daily life in the maquis camps and commitment to the struggle - exhibition "The torn plateau": what meaning can the sacrifices of those who fought in the shadows be given today? - documentary to light... Resisting again! Questions on forms of resistance in today's world - film by Franck Pavloff. The corridor of lead leaves: a silent homage to Vercors' 840 civilian and military victims - a place of contemplation The Belvedere The belvedere, a moment of confrontation between a landscape and its history, offers a sweeping view of the entire range and the magnificent landscapes of Vercors that were battlefields in 1944 "The wind of liberty blows here" - orientation table. In addition to a historical analysis of the history of the Resistance in Vercors, the Memorial recalls two contradictory sides to our humanity, shadow and light. Exhibition updated in 2007 The visit lasts 90 minutes.
The Memorial's plusses For childrenNew! A game called "On Antoine's trail". A historical investigation leading to a young reporter's diploma. Guided tours for all - A cultural mediator at the Belvedere deciphers the visit's codes every Monday at 11am during school holidays - free1 every day by reservation for groups of children and adults (from 15 people) - ask for our group brochure online at www.memorial-vercors.fr) Documents to help you during your visit for French adults and children, tour guide and simultaneous translation into English, German and Dutch for non-French-speaking visitors. Shop The bookshop offers an extremely diversified choice of works on the Vercors, the Second World War and contemporary conflicts - youth, novels, essays, comics, souvenirs, postcards, objects The Memorial's cultural programme delivers a universal message of peace, solidarity, tolerance and commitment to freedom.
Vercors Resistance Memorial Col de La Chau 26420 Vassieux-en-Vercors Tel.: 33 (0)4 75 48 26 00 Fax: 33 (0)4 75 48 28 67 E-mail: info@memorial-vercors.fr Open May to Sept.: 10am-6pm 7/7 non-stop every day Oct.-11 Nov.: 10am-5pm every day School holidays: 10am-5pm every day Closed 12 Nov. to Christmas holidays, 25 Dec. and 1 Jan. Open every day for groups January to April: contact us Admission Adults 5€ Children 8-15 (free for children under 8): 2€50 Reduced price for students, veterans, job-seekers, disabled people, Vertacopass: 4.00 € Family price (2 adults + 2 children): 12€50 (2€/add. child) groups (15p) by reservation. Price: ask us How to get there From Valence by the grands goulets tunnel, col de la bataille, col de la chau From Die by the col de rousset From Grenoble by Villard de Lans Shop, free parking, accessible to people with reduced mobility

Originally called the Madeleine fortification, this was the Maginot Line's earliest ouvrage, or defensive work; construction began in 1928. The French government decided to build it after Mussolini's many sabre-rattling statements on the Nice region's Italian origin.

The Alpes-Maritimes General Council later bought the site to turn it into a "place of remembrance". "Les Amis de l'Ouvrage Maginot de la Madeleine", an association formed in early 2008, has begun rehabilitating the inside and outside and opened the site to the public during the 2009 Open Heritage Weekend.
Rimplas does not illustrate the concepts implemented in the later fortifications: it is in a single block surrounded by escarp walls whose blocks all face one way. They are veritable armoured casemates with 20cm-thick steel reinforcing the concrete walls, which extend inside and wrap around the cannon; two armoured shutters close the embrasure. The construction ran into many problems. First, the soil's crumbly nature required the excavated areas to be covered in concrete in several places. Second, there was severe water infiltration; in July 1936 cracks were still observed in the concrete. The fort was officially handed over to the 74th Alpine Fortress Battalion (BAF) in August 1937, before the work was totally completed.
Mission The Rimplas ouvrage has views stretching from the Upper Tinée in the north to Saint-Dalmas and La Colmiane in the west; its searchlights could scan the Upper Tinée road and the road to Saint-Martin-Vésubie. The fort could fire frontally towards the border, which was less than 5km away and ran along the present-day D2565 before the 1947 rectification. The frontier, which ran along the road between Isola, where a casemate stood, and Valabres, at the mouth of Mollières Glen, encircled nearly three-fourths of the town of Saint-Martin-Vésubie.
Composition The Rimplas ouvrage consists of five blocks connected to underground tunnels and indoor and outdoor facilities: Mixed entrance: three machine gun embrasures, mixed door, aerial tram entrance; B1: two 81mm mortar embrasures, two embrasures for twin Reibel machine guns and one grenade-launcher cloche. The mortars could fire frontally northward, but not as far as the border; B2: one machine gun embrasure; B3: one machine gun cloche and one cloche for twin Reibel machine guns; B4: two 1933 model 75mm howitzer embrasures, one 1931 model 75mm howitzer embrasure, one machine gun cloche, one observation cloche; however, the howitzers could not reach Isola, where an SFAM outpost was located. The underground rooms contained all the usual logistical facilities for a fortification of this size, and even an operating room. The tunnels and rooms are on three levels. B5: two 1933 model 75mm howitzer embrasures, one 1931 model 75mm howitzer embrasure, one machine gun cloche and one observation cloche (this block is the same as the previous one, except for the machine gun cloche). The row of howitzers covered the border to Saint-Martin-Vésubie and beyond. An observation post, located outside on the west façade, consists of an underground casemate closed by a concrete mask. The row of howitzers covered the entire border to the northeast. An emergency way out is atop the west cliff near the present telephone tower. A masonry casemate covered with a reinforced concrete slab stands before the curve in the road leading to the esplanade. The security barracks in the village of Rimplas.
The single-cable aerial tram built by Brien-Anzun, whose lower shaft can still be seen beside the Upper Tinée road, was 878m long, rose a total of 602m and could transport 52 tonnes of munitions or supplies every day in 21 cars. It was powered by two internal combustion motors. In 1939 the Rimplas fortification had a big garrison of 334 soldiers and eight officers from the 84th Alpine Fortress Battalion (BAF) and 167th Position Artillery Regiment (RAP).
The fighting In June 1940 the border zone between Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée and Valdeblore was held by four Ski Scout Sections (SES) belonging to the 84th BAF and 55th RIA: I/55 at Mont Raja, II/55 at Collet de la Sagne, III/55 at Bifarquet and that of the 84th BAF at Cabanes de Lenton. They faced off against the Val Elero battalion of the 1st Alpini. Italy declared war on France on 10 June but the actual offensive did not start until the 20th, when units of the Livorno division crossed the border near Isola and came up the Tinée halfway to Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée, trying to reach the road from Roya to Péone by way of Tolondet, certainly knowing the guns of Rimplas could not cover the area. Nevertheless, they were stopped at Pont-Rouge, before Douans. No source reports fighting in the sector in the following days and up to the armistice. Fort Rimplas nevertheless shelled the border to try and keep the Italian troops from coming across. The enemy did not breach the frontier in this sector and never threatened the work.
Present condition After the 24 June 1940 armistice the Italians disarmed and dismantled the fortification, taking away the 75mm guns. Fort de Rimplas was partially rearmed in 1947 and maintained by the army's corps of engineers until being decommissioned in 1972, when it was sold to the town of Rimplas. The municipality rented it to a company that grew mushrooms; the resulting humidity caused further damage. Much of the fort's interior was sold as scrap. Very little is left inside, but the camouflage painting and false embrasures are still quite visible on the escarp walls.
Rimplas ouvrage Les Amis de l'Ouvrage Maginot de la Madeleine 3 Promenade Saint Roch - Hôtel de ville 06420 Rimplas Tel: 06 80 59 09 94 Fax: 04 93 02 89 19 E-mail: contact@la-madeleine.asso.fr Contact the association for tours Contact Milano Nicolas, Président: nicolas@la-madeleine.asso.fr Icardo Laurent, guide: laurent@la-madeleine.asso.fr

Four permanent displays and a temporary exhibition at the Mémorial de Caen give visitors a broad understanding of 20th century history.

Permanent spaces:

• Berlin at the heart of the Cold War
• Taches d'Opinions – Global current affairs through press cartoons
• World War, Total War
• The Normandy Landings and the Battle of Normandy

The Mémorial de Caen offers visitors a comprehensive multi-language audioguide service in addition to its guided tours.

The Mémorial de Caen

Esplanade Eisenhower B.P. 55026 - 14050 Caen Cedex 4

Tél : +33 (0)2 31 06 06 45

Fax : +33 (0)2 31 06 01 66

Email : contact@memorial-caen.fr

Opening times

 Prices

Site of the Caen Musée de la Paix memorial

Memory of Normandy

Site of the Calvados tourist board

Website of Normandy's regional tourist committee

The Musée de la Grande Guerre was officially opened on 11 November 2011 by the Pays de Meaux combined area council. The furthest point of the German advance and the site of the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914, Meaux and its neighbouring communes possess historic heritage which, until then, had been undervalued and was little known to the general public, since the Great War is not generally associated with the Île-de-France region. First off, then, the museum serves as a reminder that the front came right up to the edge of Paris, and that the “miracle of the Marne”, just one month after the outbreak of hostilities, was the victory that was to decide the course of the conflict. Besides its historical legitimacy, the museum, like any major structure, plays the role of a lever of development for the region. It contributes to shaping a new image while mobilising different actors around a shared project that can benefit everyone, both in terms of culture and tourism and in terms of networks.

Origins

The Musée de la Grande Guerre du Pays de Meaux has its origins in a meeting between Jean-Pierre Verney, a passionate, self-taught historian who, over more than 45 years, collected 50 000 objects and documents on the First World War – one of the largest private collections in Europe – and Jean-François Copé, chairman of the Pays de Meaux combined area council. Copé took the decision to buy the collection in 2005 and founded a museum on the First World War, at a time when Verney was preparing to sell overseas, having found no local authority willing to take it. It was an obvious choice, given the sheer scale of the Pays de Meaux area (18 communes with a total population of 85 000) and the fact that a number of its villages still bear visible traces of the Battle of the Marne (memorials, cemeteries, etc.), including the grave of French poet Charles Péguy, killed on 5 September 1914.

A museum on a human scale

From the outset, the Musée de la Grande Guerre du Pays de Meaux was intended to be for all visitors. Its bold design and contemporary layout, at once educational, sensitive and immersive, contribute to making it as accessible as possible.  This proximity to visitors can be explained in part by the desire to approach the conflict from a human perspective, through the everyday lives not only of the soldiers, but of women and children, continually switching between the front and the home front. All the nations that took part in the war are represented here, namely through the collection of uniforms, the overall intention being to present the universality of suffering and violence, whatever side of no man’s land your camp happens to be on

The object at the heart of the display

The exhibition is deliberately open and unconstrained, in order to allow each visitor to choose their own route, and thus build their own history. The main display, which presents the First Battle of the Marne (1914) alongside the Second Battle of the Marne (1918), clearly presents to visitors the passage from the 19th to the 20th century. Between these two key mobile battles at the beginning and end of the war, the presentation of the static war with its front comprised of trenches offers an insight into the notion of stalemate. Laid out in the main body of the museum, here is where the big hardware (lorries, aircraft, tanks, artillery pieces, etc.) is on show, making the museum a unique place where visitors can see the full range of objects and documents bearing witness to the conflict. This main display is complemented by a themed display: eight spaces look at topics that cut across the conflict (A New War, Bodies and Suffering, Globalisation, A Mobilised Society, etc.), adding new ways into the subject. The presentation is different for each of the spaces, thereby breaking up the monotony of the experience, as each new setting renews visitors’ interest. Obviously, the objects in the collection are at the heart of the display: they lend and take on meaning in their relationship with the space and in the dialogue they establish with the museum resources, and ultimately move visitors to ask questions about their own memories. By arousing interest and curiosity, the museum encourages visitors to interrogate their own personal history.

An innovative interaction

If visitors are greeted by ambient sounds even before they set foot in the museum, once inside, they find a whole series of objects to touch in the displays. Known as “martyr objects”, they belong to the collections and offer the public an opportunity to handle materials and shapes. There is also a wealth of interactive tools that aim to put the visitor in the driving seat: wearing special glasses to experience 3D stereoscopic views, feeling the weight of soldiers’ kit bags or coils of barbed wire, guessing what objects are in the archaeological niches, educational games to grasp the economic impact of the war or discover the different belligerent nations, interactive terminals to offer a deeper insight into the collection. All of this makes for an attractive and dynamic visitor experience, involving the different senses, thereby aiding the immersion in what is a complex subject.

The Musée de la Grande Guerre du Pays de Meaux is today an essential site for discovering the history of the First World War, and the area has become a remembrance tourism destination. The years of the centenary commemorations contributed to that process, which is sure to continue as the museum celebrates its tenth anniversary with a special season in 2021-22.

Sources : © Musée de la Grande Guerre

It was responsible , thanks to the weaponry it contained (155 mm and 120 mm artillery pieces - 220 mm mortars) for preventing any enemy from crossing the heights of Chassieu or St-Priest and advancing towards Lyon, or setting up their own canons, which would then have been able to bomb the town. Trapezoid in shape, which is a characteristic of polygonal fortifications, the length of its perimeter was protected by a dry moat, which prevented the central structure from being surrounded by an infantry attack. Its buildings were covered with a mass of earth in order to absorb the effects of projectiles (an anti-impact layer). In the event of war, its garrison was increased to 841 artillery and infantrymen. More than 1500 m² of stores of various kinds housed provisions and munitions, food supplies, fuel and equipment etc.

History: Advances in artillery quite rapidly rendered this type of fortification obsolete and unsuitable. Nevertheless, the deterrent factor of any fortress could never be totally removed. It remained partly armed up until 1914. After 1920, it had only a logistical role for the nearby air base. It would be occupied by German troops in 1942, and finally given to the urban community of Lyon (la communauté urbaine de Lyon or COURLY) in 1975, to be used as a support building for the enormous water reservoirs. The town of Bron uses it for storing council equipment, for which the COURLY has granted a long lease in return for a modest rent.
The Association of the fort de Bron, created in 1982, brings together all the people and associations who want to contribute to the development, improvement and running of the place. Its administrative committee, with two permanent elected officers from the BRON district, defines the work that needs to be done and participates in the research work on future projects carried out by the council. A sports track and circular walk have been created. A long-term programme is planned for the renovation and conservation of the Fort: access to most of the moats, making some of the rooms in the Fort available for public use and the temporary opening of part of the interior for cultural, community and theatrical events.
The association is particularly keen to promote the historical heritage of this example of military architecture from the end of the 19th century. On the first Sunday of every month it organises free guided tours of the Fort and its museum, from 1.30 to 4.30 pm in winter and 2 to 5 pm in summer. It also organises occasional tours for associations and schools (requests to be addressed to the cultural department of the mairie).
It takes part in Heritage days and holds an artwork exhibition on the first Saturday and Sunday in October. The Fort de Bron belongs to the fortified defence system set up around Lyon after the war of 1870, at the instigation of General Séré de Rivières, who was responsible for fortifications on a national level. One room in the Fort bears his name. A museum is in the process of being established, with new documents and photographs from the period, as well as a visual display showing the different parts of the fort.
Fort de Bron Avenue Maréchal de Tassigny 69500 Bron Association du fort de Bron Bt 74 Maison des sociétés square Grimma 69500 Bron Tel: + 33 (0)6 60 65 25 23 E-mail: chaandre@numericable.fr

The Shoah Memorial was opened to the public on 27 January 2005 for the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp and the European Day in Memory of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity.

Located in the historic Marais quarter of Paris, today it has become the reference institution in Europe for the Shoah.

Understanding the past to shed light on the future – that is this site’s mission as a place of remembrance, a museum and a documentation centre.

Open to a wide, diverse public, it provides numerous spaces and activities: a permanent exhibition on the Shoah and the history of the Jews in France during World War II, a temporary exhibition space, an auditorium that schedules projections, conferences, debates, book presentations, etc., the Wall of Names engraved with the manes of the 76,000 Jewish men, women and children deported from France between 1942 and 1944; the Wall of the Righteous which bears the names of the 2,693 Righteous Among the Nations who protected or saved Jews in France during the Nazi occupation; the crypt, a place of contemplation where the ashes of victims of Auschwitz and the Warsaw ghetto are held; the Centre of Contemporary Jewish Documentation (one million documents archived, 90,000 photographs and 50,000 books) and its reading room, a multimedia space, pedagogical areas where workshops are held for children and activities for teacher classes, and a bookstore.

Intended for the widest public, the Shoah Memorial contributes to teaching about a crime that is unique in the history of humanity, but also takes part education and discussions on tolerance, freedom and democracy.

Shoah Memorial

17 rue Geoffroy l'Asnier 75004 Paris

Tel.: +33 (0)1 42 77 44 72 (switchboard and voice mail server)

Fax: +33 (0)1 53 01 17 44

E-Mail: contact@memorialdelashoah.org

Opening hours

The museum is open every day except Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm and Thursdays to 10 pm.

Closed on Saturdays, certain national bank holidays and certain Jewish holidays.

The reading rooms and the multimedia education centre are open every day except Saturdays from 10 am to 5.30 pm and Thursdays to 7.30 pm.

Mémorial de la Shoah

During the First World War, the Hartmannswillerkopf, a rocky mountain spur dominating the Alsace plain to the south of the Vosges, occupied a strategic position. More than 150,000 men belonging to regiments that came from the whole of France, in particular the Chasseurs et les Diables rouges (Chasseurs and Red Devils) of the Colmar regiment, fought there for four years in order to re-conquer the Alsace. Around 25,000 officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers fell on the "Vieil Armand", as the poilus or foot soldiers christened it. Situated in the Vosges mountain range at an altitude of 956 metres, the Hartmannswillerkopf site is one of four national monuments of the Great War, during which time it was a strategic battleground. About 25,000 French soldiers died on the slopes of the "Vieil Armand". Listed as a historic monument in 1921, it has been developed thanks to a national fund under the noble patronage of the President of the Republic and five Marshals of France. Several buildings were constructed between 1924 and 1929 at this important place of remembrance and the whole place was inaugurated in October 1932 by the President of the Republic, Albert Lebrun.

Today the site of the battlefield, well maintained and signposted, is one of the most well preserved in France. Forty-five kilometres of paths and trenches provide access to French fortifications, such as the Roche Sermet and the Roche Mégard and to some German structures (Aussichtsfelsen etc.). These paths also lead to a cemetery, to the monument to the 152nd infantry regiment and to the steles (Serret, Chambaud and the one recalling the sacrifice of lieutenant Pierre Scheurer, who died on the 28th April 1915) and finally, to some German monuments such as the one to the chasseurs, and to the staircase with 560 steps "to the sky".
Built on sloping land, the Silberloch cemetery has 1,264 graves of soldiers who could be identified and six ossuaries. Dominating the cemetery, an alter to the Homeland, facing east towards the summit of the Hartmannswillerkopf, has been constructed on a stone esplanade above the crypt. Identical to the one of 1790, it symbolises the mass movement of volunteers who rushed to the borders to defend the Republic. On its four sides are the names of the towns that took part in financing the collection of monuments: Paris, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Besançon, Metz, Lille, Rouen, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes etc. An eighty metre long trench provides access to the cultural crypt, in the centre of which is the ossuary. Covered with a bronze shield six metres in diameter, it contains the remains of some 12,000 unknown soldiers. The word "Patrie" (Homeland) is engraved on the shield in gold lettering. The entrance to the crypt, which is closed by a wrought iron gate bearing the inscription Ad lucem perpetuat, is guarded by two archangels created by the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle.
Inside, weapons and equipment recovered from the battlefield are on display, as well as photographs and sculptures. On the walls of the corridor leading to the crypt are bronze plaques bearing the numbers of the 101 units, regiments et battalions that succeeded each other on the battle field over fifty-two months. A Catholic Chapel with a statue of the Virgin Mary on top, also by Antoine Bourdelle, is decorated with inscriptions composed by Monseigneur Ruch, the first bishop of Strasbourg after 1918. Sites for the Protestant and Jewish religions have also been built. A reinforced concrete cross 20 m high and 5.25 m wide stretches out towards the hills of the Vosges. It was illuminated for the first time on the night of the 10th November 1936.
The Vieil Armand Battlefield Route des crêtes 68700 Wattwiller Tel.: 03 89 75 50 35