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Mémorial de la Shoah à Drancy Inaugurated in France

10.10.2012

On 21 September 2012, French President François Hollande inaugurated the Shoah Memorial in Drancy.

The Mémorial de la Shoah à Drancy, a new center of history and education located in front of the Cité de la Muette, was built at the initiative and with the support of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.  The center aims to present the history of the Drancy internment camp.

Built on land donated by the mayor of Drancy, the sober and dignified memorial was designed by the Swiss architect Roger Diener.  Respectful of the site and the urban environment, it offers visitors a panoramic view of the Cité de la Muette.

It is built on five levels:  a conference room in the basement, reception areas on the ground floor, teaching rooms to accommodate groups, and a documentation center.  A permanent exhibition traces the history and operation of the camp as well as the everyday life of the internees.



The memorial joins monuments previously constructed on the site in 1976 and 1988.

Mr. Hollande stated in his address, "Our work is no longer about establishing the truth.  Today, our work is to transmit. That is the spirit of this memorial. Transmission: there resides the future of remembering."

More information on the Mémorial de la Shoah à Drancy is available in French via the following links:

http://www.fondationshoah.org/FMS/spip.php?article1872&lang=fr

http://www.memorialdelashoah.org/b_content/getContentFromNumLinkAction.do?itemId=1396&type=1