Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation

The Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, located at the tip of the Île de la Cité in Paris, is a solemn tribute to the 200,000 French victims deported to Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Inaugurated on April 12, 1962, by General Charles de Gaulle, the memorial was conceived by architect Georges-Henri Pingusson in 1960. It was created to evoke the suffering, extermination, and degradation endured by the deportees and to inspire reflection on these atrocities.

The memorial’s design is symbolic, suggesting aspects characteristic of the concentration camp world: imprisonment, oppression, and the impossibility of escape. Visitors are led on an “initiatory journey” culminating in a crypt housing the remains of an unknown deportee. Fifteen urns containing soil and ashes from the main Nazi camps are also present, encouraging contemplation and meditation through silence and solitude.

A complementary educational path was finalized in January 2022. This new museography, based on the latest historical research, helps understand the singularities of different deportations, the repressive German policy in French territory, collaboration, and the processes of protecting memories of World War II. The educational path is designed to strengthen the memorial’s impact, especially among younger generations, in response to the rise of Holocaust denial.