Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Picardie Museum of Resistance and Deportation was created in 1986 on the initiative of Etienne Dromas, former head of the French Forces de l'Intérieure (F.F.I.) of Aisne. It is housed in an emblematic building of the Carnegie reconstruction, funded by American industrialist Andrew Carnegie and designed by architects Paul Bigot and Henri-Paul Nénot between 1922 and 1928. This place, formerly a cinema in Fargniers (Tergnier district), symbolizes the renaissance of the region after the destruction of the First World War, with 95% of the municipality affected in 1918.

The museum presents archives, objects, photographs and military vehicles illustrating the rise of Nazism, World War II, Resistance and deportation. Among his outstanding pieces are the Citroën front traction, the Marshal Hermann Goering's document holder, a Beechcraft C45 and a Renault R35 tank. A reconstitution of maquis and parachuting, as well as spaces dedicated to post-war and deportation, complete the collections. The museum also organizes temporary exhibitions, educational activities and memory trails to transmit local history.

The museum is managed by the Friends of the Museum Association and benefits from the label "Musée de France". It is part of a regionalist architectural complex with Anglo-Saxon influence, including town hall, schools and public spaces, built thanks to a donation of 150,000 dollars from the Carnegie Dotation. Its role is both memorial, educational and cultural, in collaboration with local and community actors.

The Paths of Memory, created by the museum, mark 50 war and resistance events in the Chauny-Tergnier Commune. These courses, punctuated with informative totems, aim to raise awareness of the history of civilians and military personnel who participated in the Liberation. The museum also offers annual thematic exhibitions, such as Resistering in Art or Women in War, strengthening its anchor in the duty of memory.

In 2005, the museum expanded with a multi-purpose space of 300 m2 with a media library, conference room and temporary exhibitions. This development reflects its evolution since its inauguration, marked by the engagement of local resistors in its initial management. Today, there remains a key place to understand the military and civil history of Picardia during the Second World War.

External links