En 1972, l'Association Nationale des Anciens Combattants de la Résistance (A.N.A.C.R.), l'Association Nationale des Pionniers et Combattants Volontaires du Vercors et la Fédération Nationale des Déportés et Internés Résistant s et Patriotes (F.N.D.I.R.P.), se réunissent en comité dans le but de créer un musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation.

Installé dans l'ancien couvent de la Visitation de Romans, il sera inauguré le 22 Juin 1974, en présence de Monsieur Jacques Debû-Bridel, membre fondateur du conseil National de la Résistance. Devant l’intérêt croissant du public, des étudiants et des chercheurs, le musée s’agrandit et évolue en 1994 pour devenir Centre historique.

Le Musée s'est donné pour mission d'informer et de transmettre afin que les événements qui ont noirci notre histoire ne se reproduisent pas. Il propose, dans une présentation sobre et claire, une exposition permanente : " De la montée du nazisme à la Libération".

Il dispose de différents outils :

- les salles d'exposition : outil de sensibilisation grand public, vitrine à la fois émotionnelle, informative et éducative.

- Le centre de documentation spécialisé à la disposition des étudiants, chercheurs et historiens (installé aux Archives communales, n°3 rue des Clercs).

- Les actions pédagogiques, destinées plus particulièrement aux jeunes générations qui n'ont pas connu cette période de l'histoire, pour leur montrer ce que peut devenir l'homme pour l'homme, dans certaines circonstances, sous certaines influences, et pour éveiller leur attention et leur vigilance aux répétitions de l'histoire.

- Le site web : http://www.resistance- drome.org

Ce site, bilingue, a pour objectif immédiat de faire découvrir aux jeunes générations le Musée et sa base de documentation.

Il veut également susciter des contacts et des échanges avec toute personne française ou étrangère intéressée par cette page d'histoire de notre région.

A terme, son objectif est de mettre en ligne la documentation bibliographique, au travers d'une base de données à critères de recherche multiples, un formidable outil de recherche de documentation.

Info utile :

Le Musée de la Résistance est installé dans une aile du bâtiment abritant le Musée international de la chaussure. L'entrée des deux Musées est commune.

Sources : ©MUSEE DE LA RESISTANCE EN DROME ET DE LA DEPORTATION

A lime tree was planted in the cemetery in remembrance of Maxime Fischer. His ashes were scattered at the foot of the tree in 2008. Fischer, a lawyer who was struck off the Paris Bar because he was Jewish, became a refugee in Carpentras. He created the Maquis Ventoux with Philippe Beyne, which took in many civilians who refused to be conscripted into forced labour. He was a well-respected leader and member of the Resistance. He passed away in 2008.

On 21 July 1944, through the “Bettina” operation, the German general Karl Pfaum enlisted over 15,000 men supported by an air wing. The massif was surrounded on all sides. The Luftwaffe dropped three waves of gliders over Vassieux and surrounding hamlets. The Resistance fighters were caught off guard.

After a week of fighting, the Vercors was on its knees. Over 600 Resistance fighters and a hundred Germans were killed. The civilian population paid a heavy price – 201 people were killed, 41 others were deported and 573 houses were destroyed. For all this suffering, on 4 August 1945, Vassieux-en-Vercors was named a ‘fellow Liberation city’ by decree. This rare honour has been awarded to four other French cities - Paris, Nantes, Grenoble and the Ile de Sein.

The Vassieux-en-Vercors National Cemetery is home to the graves of 187 Resistance fighters and civilians who died for France during the fighting that took place on the Vercors plateau in July 1944.

This cemetery was built in 1948 on the initiative of the Vercors National Society of Pioneers and Veterans, and holds the bodies of battle victims from 1944 that were buried in a temporary cemetery located in Pouyettes, to the north of the village of Vassieux. The cemetery is State property and is home to 187 individual graves where 80 Resistance fighters, 58 Vassieux locals and 49 unidentified bodies are buried.

Outside the cemetery, there are the metal structures of two types of gliders used by the Luftwaffe – a DFS 230 and a 242 Gotha.

Next to the cemetery, a Memorial Hall preserves the memory of all victims of the Vercors where a plaque shows that the body of Sergeant Raymond Anne, a Resistance fighter from Vassieux, lies in the crypt of Mont-Valérien. He was considered a true symbol of the sacrifice of all deaths of French Resistance fighters.

Nearby, the Vassieux-en-Vercors Museum of the Resistance and the memorial of the Resistance in Col de la Chau, provide insight into the events that took place during World War II in the Vercors region.

Step into the fortress and see what the Resistance fighters' everyday lives were like. A symbolic walk from shadow to light... Vassieux "This is where the land of freedom begins" The history of France's first and biggest maquis. Unlike a museum of objects, the Memorial uses stage sets, images, sound and light. Integrated architecture This citadel embedded in the mountain harmoniously blends into the site's exceptional natural environment, leaving the hollow of a coomb free and intact. The camouflaged, vegetation-covered building recalls the maquisards' underground life. A powerful, highly evocative work The 1,200m2 space recreates the period's moods with a set of codes to decipher. Everything has been designed to help you understand and feel the maquisards' hopes and sorrows.

A universal message of vigilance and solidarity The Memorial is a commemorative monument, a place of remembrance and contemplation. It keeps the memory of the tragic events of July 1944 alive and pays homage to the men and women who fought for freedom. The thought-provoking exhibits feature documentaries and first-hand accounts: an analysis and understanding of human behaviour during acts of grandeur and of barbarism. The goals are to emphasize the universal value of what Vercors stands for and to make the message of resistance, of all resistance, heard by as many people as possible. Not all resistance leads to victory, but it always leads to dignity. Every year 37,000 people visit the Memorial (50% are children).
Become both a player and an onlooker during the visit: From shadow... Live the daily life of the French under the Occupation Feel their fear during the dark years (visual and sound environment). Understand the motives of those who rejected defeat. The sacrificed fortress: Witness the invasion of Vercors Fortress - moving model, original images "This is where the land of freedom begins" Symbolic rise in the Vercors The Corridor of Testimonials : recollections of the maquis veterans and inhabitants of Vercors - audio and video room Daily life in the maquis camps and commitment to the struggle - exhibition "The torn plateau": what meaning can the sacrifices of those who fought in the shadows be given today? - documentary to light... Resisting again! Questions on forms of resistance in today's world - film by Franck Pavloff. The corridor of lead leaves: a silent homage to Vercors' 840 civilian and military victims - a place of contemplation The Belvedere The belvedere, a moment of confrontation between a landscape and its history, offers a sweeping view of the entire range and the magnificent landscapes of Vercors that were battlefields in 1944 "The wind of liberty blows here" - orientation table. In addition to a historical analysis of the history of the Resistance in Vercors, the Memorial recalls two contradictory sides to our humanity, shadow and light. Exhibition updated in 2007 The visit lasts 90 minutes.
The Memorial's plusses For childrenNew! A game called "On Antoine's trail". A historical investigation leading to a young reporter's diploma. Guided tours for all - A cultural mediator at the Belvedere deciphers the visit's codes every Monday at 11am during school holidays - free1 every day by reservation for groups of children and adults (from 15 people) - ask for our group brochure online at www.memorial-vercors.fr) Documents to help you during your visit for French adults and children, tour guide and simultaneous translation into English, German and Dutch for non-French-speaking visitors. Shop The bookshop offers an extremely diversified choice of works on the Vercors, the Second World War and contemporary conflicts - youth, novels, essays, comics, souvenirs, postcards, objects The Memorial's cultural programme delivers a universal message of peace, solidarity, tolerance and commitment to freedom.
Vercors Resistance Memorial Col de La Chau 26420 Vassieux-en-Vercors Tel.: 33 (0)4 75 48 26 00 Fax: 33 (0)4 75 48 28 67 E-mail: info@memorial-vercors.fr Open May to Sept.: 10am-6pm 7/7 non-stop every day Oct.-11 Nov.: 10am-5pm every day School holidays: 10am-5pm every day Closed 12 Nov. to Christmas holidays, 25 Dec. and 1 Jan. Open every day for groups January to April: contact us Admission Adults 5€ Children 8-15 (free for children under 8): 2€50 Reduced price for students, veterans, job-seekers, disabled people, Vertacopass: 4.00 € Family price (2 adults + 2 children): 12€50 (2€/add. child) groups (15p) by reservation. Price: ask us How to get there From Valence by the grands goulets tunnel, col de la bataille, col de la chau From Die by the col de rousset From Grenoble by Villard de Lans Shop, free parking, accessible to people with reduced mobility