Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de la Résistance nationale (MRN) is a network of museums focused on the French Resistance, whose main site is located in Champigny-sur-Marne, east of Paris. Created in 1965 thanks to the initiative of resistors, deportees, trade unions and citizens, it moved in 1985 to a 19th-century mansion in Vercors Park, on the edge of the Marne River. Its objective is to preserve and enhance archives, objects and testimonies related to the Second World War, particularly those relating to Resistance movements, Collaboration and Liberation.

In 2000, the Jean-Louis Crémieux-Brilhac Conservation and Consultation Centre was inaugurated to safeguard and study collections, which have had more than 4,000 donations since the 1960s. These collections include 700 linear metres of archives, 5,000 objects, photographic and cinematographic holdings, as well as works of art and documents related to deportation camps. The museum is labeled Musée de France and its archives are entrusted to the National Archives.

Since 2020, the MRN has occupied a new site, the Aimé-Césaire space, twice as large as the old one, while the Jean-Louis-Crémieux-Brilhac space remains dedicated to conservation and research. The museum offers permanent and temporary exhibitions, publications and actively participates in the National Competition of Resistance and Deportation. He collaborates with French and international institutions for travelling exhibitions and loans of works.

The collections cover a period from the 1930s to the post-war period, including archives on anti-fascist movements, the Spanish war, internal resistance, collaboration, and the memories of deportees. Among the remarkable holdings are archives of emblematic figures such as Geneviève Anthonioz-de Gaulle, Pierre Georges (Colonel Fabien), or Paul Éluard, as well as objects related to Nazi camps (Buchenwald, Ravensbrück). The museum highlights the diversity of the actors of the Resistance, from anonymous to well-known personalities.

The MRN also engages in cultural and scientific programming, with temporary exhibitions such as Robert Doisneau, the printers of the Resistance (2012-2013) or You will no longer dance! Clandestine Balls (2022-2023). It develops partnerships with museums such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington or the Museum of Modern Art in Paris for thematic exhibitions.

Recognized as a public utility, the MRN is based on a network of 18 museums in France and is supported by local authorities, the Ministry of Culture and patrons. Its current project combines the city of Champigny-sur-Marne and the Val-de-Marne department to modernize its spaces and expand its accessibility, while preserving its memorial and educational role.

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