Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation in Paris



The Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation is a monument in Paris that has a crypt, which recalls the horrors of concentration camps and remembers those who were deported and suffered the ordeals of the war.

About the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation Monument



This memorial was designed by the architect Georges-Henri Pingusson and is a vast dimly lit hexagonal crypt that recalls some of the horrifying features of the concentrations camps from the imprisonment, oppression and the ordeals people went through, and the French President, General de Gaulle, inaugurated this monument in Paris on 12th April 1962.
Inside Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation
The hexagonal crypt opens onto the covered porch where there are lights that represent the deportees who died in the camps along with ashes from unknown deportees who were sent to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, which was the only Nazi concentration camp to be found on French soil during the war, that was located in the Alsace region of France.

Also, on both sides of the crypt there are two small galleries that contain soil from different camps along with ashes that were returned and these are enclosed in triangular urns, which are dedicated to the French people that died, totalling around 200,000 along with around 75,000 Jews that died at a concentration camp in Germany after being deported.

When you look around the Memorial of Martyrs of the Deportation you will see the names of different camps along with extracts from poems by people such as Robert Desnos, Paul Eluard and the famous Jean-Paul Sartre who used to frequent the La Coupole Brasserie in Paris.

Plus every year on the last Sunday of April there is a memorial day held in memory of both the martyrs and the heroes of the deportation, in order to still remember the atrocities that took place while France was under Nazi occupation, and the horrific acts that occurred during World War II.

Visiting the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation



Located in the 4th Arrondissement of Paris, the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation is located in the Square de l'Ile-de-France, which is situated on the southern tip of the Ile de la Cite island in the River Seine, and this is also very close to the historical monument of Notre Dame Cathedral.

It is open on a Tuesday to Sunday from 10am through to 5pm during the months of October through to March.  However, from April through to the end of September this monument and the crypt is open from 10am through to 7pm, and you will be pleased to know that there is free access to everyone including the crypt.

But there are also guided tours available where you can also get to see the Superior rooms, known as the Salles Superieures and these are available up request in advance by contacting the Hotel National des Invalides on telephone no +33 (0) 1 49 55 75 15.
Outside Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation
Architecture at Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation

Access to the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation



Now getting to the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation is pretty easy via the public transport in Paris, and the nearest Metro station is called the Cite stop serving line 4.

Alternatively, if you are travelling on the RER trains, you would need the Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame stop that serves the RER B and RER C lines, which is also a Metro station for line 4.

However the Metro stations called the Saint Paul stop serves line 1, the Maubert - Mutualite stop serves line 10 and the Pont Marie stop serves line 7.  However, the Batobus water bus has a docking station located on the bank of the River Seine opposite the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Yet the bus lines 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 67, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 85 and 96 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N12, N13, N14, N15, N21, N22 and N24, as well as the tour buses in Paris like L'OpenTour will also get you within walking distance of this memorial and numerous other tourist attractions in Paris.