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Origin and history

The Musée 39-45 de Dinan is a French private military museum founded in 2004 in Léhon, near Dinan, in the Côtes-d-Armor department. It is entirely dedicated to the Second World War, with a rich collection of more than 20,000 pieces, ranging from everyday objects like cigarette packs to technical elements such as aircraft engines. These collections, originally from the passion of Eric Pasturel and his son Thomas, have been enriching for more than thirty years thanks to contributions from all over Brittany.

The museum offers an immersion in the major themes of war, such as German occupation, resistance, deportation and liberation of Brittany. Visitors can discover restored artillery pieces and vintage vehicles, as well as testimonies of the Resistance, such as leaflets, parachute containers and special services (S.A.S.) objects. Part of the exhibition is dedicated to concentration camps, illustrated by photographs and survivors' uniforms.

Among the notable reconstructions, the museum presents a complete German convoy, including a Goulash Kanonen (German rolling kitchen), as well as a real-sized blockhouse. The latter is equipped with genuine equipment, such as a room with its regulatory furniture, an infirmary, a radio room and a firing casemate with a 47 mm SKODA gun, one of the few still existing in Europe. These facilities allow visitors to dive into the daily lives of soldiers and civilians during the conflict.

The museum relies on a variety of collections and realistic stagings to provide an educational and memorial experience. The 45 mannequins in period uniform, as well as the objects exposed, aim to convey the history of this dark period while paying tribute to the actors of the Resistance and the victims of the war. The museum is also supported by external links, including its official website, which complement the information available on site.

External links