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Why you really should visit Paris' WWII French Resistance museum

The Local France
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Why you really should visit Paris' WWII French Resistance museum
General Leclerc during the liberation of Paris. Photo: AFP

As Paris marks 79 years since the liberation of the city, check out this museum which tells the fascinating stories of the incredibly brave men and women who risked their lives to join the Resistance.

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What’s the story behind the museum?

Previously situated in a little-known space beside the Gare Montparnasse, the Musée de la Libération de Paris - Musée du Général Leclerc - Musée Jean Moulin reopened in 2019 at the place Denfert-Rochereau in central Paris - above the network of underground tunnels used by the Resistance during the battle for the Liberation of Paris.

The museum’s particularly long name pays homage to General Leclerc and Jean Moulin, two key leaders of French resistance forces whose stories are prominently featured in the museum.

READ ALSO 'I was just 19 when I cycled up to the German officer and put two bullets in his head'

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French resistance leader Jean Moulin. Photo: AFP

This revamped space was the result of the combined efforts of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and the wife of Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, the leader of the Paris Resistance. During the war Cécile Rol-Tanguy worked tirelessly alongside her husband in the underground bunker that secretly served as a command post. 

Hear the team at The Local discuss Jean Moulin in this episode of the Talking France podcast

 

What are the exhibitions about?

The chronological permanent exhibition guides the visitor through the pre-war period, the occupation and the liberation of Paris through the figures of Jean Moulin - who led Resistance efforts in France until his capture by the Germans and death in 1943 - and General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, who led the Free French forces overseas during the war, before taking part in the Liberation of Paris.

More than 300 artefacts from the period are on show, in addition to original documents, photographs, archived videos and testimonies about the resistance.

However, the museum’s most gripping historical attraction lies underground, 100 steps below to be precise.

It is sited in the bunker of Col Rol-Tanguy, the military command post where the colonel, his wife, and his staff hid out to orchestrate the liberation of Paris.

READ ALSO 10 things you might not know about the liberation of Paris 

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Part of the museum is situated in the secret hideout of Paris resistance leader Henri Rol-Tanguy. Photo: AFP

What else is there?

The museum also has a series of temporary exhibitions which have included subjects like female war photographers.

Practical info

The Musée de la Libération de Paris-Musée du Général Leclerc-Musée Jean Moulin is on Place Denfert-Rochereau, 4 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy 75014 Paris.

Tickets can be booked in advance online or purchased on the door. The permanent collection is free, but visits to the underground bunker or the temporary exhibits are not. The underground bunker can only be accessed by stairs, so is not suitable for people with mobility issues. 

For more details, call 01 40 64 39 44 or visit the museum's website.

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