Since 2010, four history and remembrance centers in the Centre-Val de Loire and Nouvelle Aquitaine regions have been working together to put on educational programs and cultural events on World War II and the defense of human rights and democratic values.
Every year, the network organizes a film screening during Documentary Film Month in November as well as training for teachers. It also makes a regular contribution to Blois’ History Rendez-Vous.
The Maison du Souvenir
On August 25, 1944, 124 inhabitants of the village of Maillé were massacred by Germans, and the village was almost completely destroyed. The exhibition rooms at the Maison du Souvenir shed light on the background and unfolding of this tragedy, and chart the decades that followed.
Cercil – memorial museum for the children of Vél d’hiv
In the Loiret département, three internment camps managed by the Vichy Government were opened during World War II at the Germans’ instruction, in Pithiviers, Beaune-la-Rolande and Jargeau. 16,000 Jews, including 4,100 children arrested during the Vel d’Hiv Roundup, were imprisoned before being assassinated at Auschwitz. The CERCIL operates as a research center, museum, memorial and archive and documentation center.
CRRL – the Regional Resistance & Liberty Center
Poitou was a pioneering region in the formation and organization of resistance networks and movements. The Regional Resistance & Liberty Center is a cultural and educational venue providing insight into World War II events. Designed around three concepts – react, take action, build – the CRRL’s permanent exhibition encourages visitors to grasp for themselves the notion of resistance along its thematic trail.
Cher Resistance and Deportation Museum
The Cher Resistance and Deportation Museum seeks to contribute to World War II history and remembrance efforts in the Cher département. It focuses particularly on the demarcation line which split the département in two, and the Berry maquis (resistance group).