Musée de la Résistance en Argoat

Le musée de la Résistance en Argoat s’inscrit dans un lieu porteur de mémoire. C’est au cœur de la forêt voisine de Coatmallouen que se met en place, à partir du début du mois de juillet 1944, le maquis de Plésidy-St Connan-Coatmallouen. Fort de plusieurs centaines d’hommes, il affronte les troupes d’occupation lors des combats du 27 juillet 1944. Il participe ensuite à la libération de Guingamp et de sa région. Certains résistants du maquis partiront se battre sur le front de Lorient jusqu’au printemps 1945 tandis que d’autres prendront la route de l’est pour marcher jusqu’à Berlin.

The Museum of the Resistance in Argoat stands on a site steeped in memory. Deep in the nearby forest of Coatmallouen, the maquis (rural guerrilla group) of Plésidy-Saint Connan-Coatmallouen was set up in early July 1944. Formed of several hundred men, it took part in the fighting of 27 July 1944 against the occupying troops. It went on to participate in the liberation of Guingamp and the surrounding area. Some members of the maquis went off to fight on the Lorient front until spring 1945, while others marched east to Berlin.

The museum gives visitors an insight into the history of the Second World War and the Resistance in the Côtes-d’Armor, by means of five exhibition spaces, each identified by a different floor colour. To round off the visit, Guy Delattre’s film Les patriotes de Coatmallouen is shown continuously in the projection room. The occupation, the Resistance movement, the maquis and their allies, the maquis of Plésidy-Saint Connan, liberation: all these themes are covered by a lively exhibition that allows considerable space for audiovisual displays and first-hand accounts.

Inaugurated on 5 August 1945 by minister René Pleven, in memory of the maquis, the Étang-Neuf stela remembers the fighting which pitted the maquisards against German troops in Coatmallouen on 27 July 1944. It bears the names of the 13 patriots killed in the fighting, as well as those of their comrades who died during the liberation of Guingamp and on the Lorient front.

The centre holds the disability-friendly label Tourisme et Handicap, for mental disability and motor impairment. The entire Étang-Neuf site is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Disabled people pay a concessionary rate for access to the museum, and their carers get in free.

Gift and book shop specialising in the Second World War.

Food/drink and accommodation are available on site at the Auberge de l’Étang-Neuf, adjacent to the Musée de la Résistance en Argoat.

Special offer for groups of eight people or more: guided tour of the museum + lunch at the restaurant for € 20 per person. Booking required.

School parties welcome throughout the year: guided tours with questionnaire, workshops and teaching materials available, meetings with veterans. Learning programme produced in conjunction with a representative of the national education service.

Sources : ©Musée de la Résistance en Argoat