Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tuilerie des Milles, built in the 19th century and rebuilt in 1912, was requisitioned in 1939 to become an internment camp. Originally intended for German and Austrian antifascists fleeing Nazism, he became under Vichy a place of detention for Jews and resistors. Between 1939 and 1942, more than 10,000 people of 39 nationalities were interned, including renowned artists and intellectuals such as Max Ernst or Lion Feuchtwanger.

In August-September 1942, the camp served as an antechamber in Auschwitz: 2,000 Jews, including children, were deported there via Drancy or Rivesaltes. After the closure in 1943, the site was transformed into an ammunition depot. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1993, since 2012 it has been home to an educational site-memorial, unique in Europe for its multidisciplinary approach combining history, memory and citizen reflection.

The camp des Milles is marked by an exceptional artistic production: 350 works (paintings, sculptures, texts) made by the internees, despite the precarious conditions. Wall paintings, such as those from the refectory, bear witness to this creativity. The site also preserves anonymous graffiti and traces on its walls, symbols of spiritual resistance.

After the war, the tile factory resumed its industrial activity until 1973. In the 1980s, former internees and associations (such as CRIF) obtained its classification as a historical monument. In 2012, the Memorial Site was inaugurated, combining conservation of places, exhibitions and reflexive spaces on genocidal mechanisms. Today, it hosts 100,000 annual visitors, including 60,000 young people.

The Foundation of Camp des Milles, recognized as a public utility, manages this place of memory with a multidisciplinary scientific council. Its objective: to transmit history while raising awareness of the dangers of intolerance. The site includes a souvenir wagon, the painting room, and permanent exhibitions, such as the one on the 11,000 Jewish children deported from France.

Among the key figures, Pastor Henri Manen (Just among the Nations) witnessed deportations, while artists like Hans Bellmer or Wols left major works. Captain Goruchon organized the "freedom train" in 1940 to save internees. Today, the memorial also honours the righteous who saved lives, such as Auguste Boyer or the husband Manen.

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