Meeting of Gaulle-Adenauer 14 septembre 1958 (≈ 1958)
Consecration of Franco-German reconciliation.
18 juin 1972
Inauguration of the Cross of Lorraine
Inauguration of the Cross of Lorraine 18 juin 1972 (≈ 1972)
Symbolic monument inaugurated by Pompidou.
27 mars 1974
Site classification
Site classification 27 mars 1974 (≈ 1974)
Protection of the territory of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises.
9 novembre 2006
Official launch of the memorial
Official launch of the memorial 9 novembre 2006 (≈ 2006)
By Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic.
11 octobre 2008
Opening of the current memorial
Opening of the current memorial 11 octobre 2008 (≈ 2008)
By Sarkozy and Merkel, 50 years after the meeting of Gaulle-Adenauer.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Charles de Gaulle - General and statesman
Central figure of the memorial and French history.
Georges Pompidou - President of the Republic (1969-1974)
Inaugurated the Cross of Lorraine in 1972.
Jacques Chirac - President of the Republic (1995-2007)
The project was officially launched in 2006.
Nicolas Sarkozy - President of the Republic (2007-2012)
Inaugurated the memorial in 2008 with Angela Merkel.
Konrad Adenauer - German Chancellor (1949-1963)
Actor of Franco-German reconciliation with de Gaulle.
Angela Merkel - German Chancellor (2005-2021)
Presented at the inauguration of 2008, symbolizing Franco-German friendship.
Origin and history
The Charles-de-Gaulle Memorial, located in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (Haute-Marne), traces the great events of the twentieth century through the life of Charles de Gaulle. Inaugurated in 2008, it replaces a first memorial of 1972 and integrates into a journey including the Boisserie (his home), his cemetery and the Cross of Lorraine, symbol of free France. The project, led by the Charles de Gaulle Foundation and the departmental council, cost €22 million.
The Cross of Lorraine, an emblematic monument of 44.30 metres high, was erected in 1972 thanks to a national and international subscription. Designed by architects Marc Nebinger and Michel Mosser, it is coated with pink granite and bronze, and was inaugurated by Georges Pompidou on June 18, 1972, anniversary of the Appeal of June 18, 1940. More than 400,000 visitors have been there since its first year.
The current memorial, designed by architects Jacques Millet and Jean-Côme Chilou, is inspired by nature with a vegetable roof. It has three wings: a permanent exhibition of 1,600 m2, an auditorium of 194 places and reception spaces. Immersive scenography, signed by Le Conte-Noirot, uses multimedia technologies to evoke the life of the General and the great historical challenges, without exposing personal objects.
The permanent exhibition, organized chronologically from 1890 to 1970, covers topics such as the Belle Époque, the two world wars, the creation of the Fifth Republic and May 68. A sound dimension, composed by Luc Martinez, accompanies the journey with natural atmospheres, archives and musical creations. The memorial also offers temporary exhibitions, such as De Gaulle-Adenauer: a Franco-German reconciliation (2008), and a summer show in 3D mapping on the Lorraine Cross.
The site is inseparable from the territory of Colombey, classified as a natural site in 1974 to preserve the landscape dear to de Gaulle. The Boisserie, its home since 1934, and the cemetery where it rests complete this memorial journey. The original plan of the Cross of Lorraine was mentioned by the General himself in 1954, stressing his attachment to this place.
Inaugurated by Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel in 2008, the memorial also symbolizes Franco-German reconciliation, fifty years after the historic meeting between de Gaulle and Adenauer at Boisserie. Today, chaired by Nicolas Lacroix, he attracts a varied audience thanks to his pedagogical and technological approach, while honouring the memory of one of the greatest figures in French history.
