Dreyfus House on Devil's Island

Museums of France

All the maritime heritage of France

Crédit photo : Philipp Weigell - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle

Époque contemporaine

1900

2000

1895-1899

Dreyfus' deportation

30 décembre 1987

Historical monument classification

27 juin 2000

Change in classification

Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Dreyfus House: Order of 30 December 1987, amended by order of 27 June 2000

Key figures

Alfred Dreyfus - Captain and deportee

Imprisoned in this house.

Origin and history

The Maison d'Alfred Dreyfus is a historic monument located on the island of the Devil in the commune of Cayenne, Guyana. Built in the 19th century, it is directly associated with one of the most significant episodes of French judicial history: the Dreyfus Affair. This place symbolizes the detention of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted of treason and deported to these hostile islands between 1895 and 1899.

The building was classified as a historic monument by an order of 30 December 1987 and subsequently modified by a second order of 27 June 2000. These official protections underline its heritage and memorial importance, both for the local history of Guyana and for national history. The house is now run by a state public institution, although its accessibility to the public (visits, accommodation) is not specified in available sources.

Devil's Island, part of the Salvation Islands archipelago, was a place of deportation and imprisonment known for its extreme conditions. The presence of Dreyfus in this isolated and inhospitable setting has helped to make this site a symbol of judicial errors and struggles for justice. The administrative coordinates of the monument place it under the commune of Cayenne, identified by the code Insee 97302, in the department and region of Guyana (code 973).