5 places to explain the Resistance and the Provence Landing to children

Because it’s all the more true when it’s a question of history, we don’t always have the answers to their questions. Because it’s really important to transmit the memory of the period. And also to think and share as a family: our selection of the best museums on the theme of the Resistance and the Provence Landing to do with kids.

The Mont Faron Memorial in Toulon

Objects, archives, witness accounts. An immersive show on a cinema screen which traces the operations of the Provence Landing of 15th August 1944 and the Liberation hour by hour. At the Mont Faron Memorial in Toulon, everything has been designed to explain the Landing of 15th August on the Var coast and Operation Dragoon. The permanent exhibition helps you to understand the facts, the historical context and the parties engaged in the conflict. Audio and video testimonials of the combatants introduce little ones to this page of history and whet the appetite of budding historians. To stimulate their curiosity, a games booklet is handed out to the 7 to 11-year-olds, who are invited to search for the answers along the itinerary. You can also join one of the guided tours organised every week with the family. And to make this outing even more fun, why not take the cable car up to the memorial?

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The Musée de la Résistance Azuréenne in Nice

A Beretta pistol taken from an Italian officer in Cagnes-sur-Mer. A clandestine printing shop. And also a German helmet found in the rocks after the Liberation of Nice. Some surprising objects, which are sure to capture kids’ attention, are like doors to the great Story of the Provence Landing. With the family at the Musée de la Résistance Azuréenne in Nice, you’ll also have some astonishing encounters such as a liaison officer on his bike or a resistance fighter. In all, 13 panels and 14 display cases will help you to immerse yourself with the family in the operations and actions of the highly active local Resistance, made up in great part of young people who paid a heavy price during the conflict.

The Musée de la Résistance in Pernes-les-Fontaines

Do superheroes really exist in real life and not just in films and cartoons? The answer is yes, of course. From 1942, the Vaucluse, a strategic area in the Rhône valley, became an important source of Provencal resistance. During the occupation, several local movements emerged: the Resistance of the Secret Army, founded by Gabriel Moutte, or the F.T.P.F Jean Robert Maquis, created by Danton Millet. The Musée de la Résistance in Pernes-les-Fontaines tells the story of the extraordinary bravery of these men who fought relentlessly for freedom, and the Liberation through photos and objects of the time including posters, clothing and flags. A moving visit and a very good introduction to the notion of remembrance.

The Musée de la Résistance in Castellane

To discover before or after a family outing the Lake of Castillon, just a few kilometres away, the Musée de la Résistance de Castellane introduces kids to the history of the Resistance in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Here too, in a very practical manner, through a number of period objects (bikes, equipment and clothing, means of telecommunication, etc.) photos and authentic documents, you can accompany your little ones on the discovery of this major period in the history of the 20th century. Various currents of the Resistance are mentioned. To make the visit – suitable for all including small children – more vibrant, scenes from life in clandestinity and the maquis are dotted along the visit. For families searching for adventure, we also recommend the guided tour of the military structure of Saint-Ours Haut in Val d’Oronaye (2 hours and 40 minutes from Castellane), to explore the subterranean galleries.

The Mémorial des Déportations in Marseille

At the foot of Fort Saint-Jean, the Mémorial des Déportations (Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation) keeps the memory alive of the men, women and children who were deported because they were born Jewish or repressed as politicians, resistance fighters, hostages or « suspects ». The place itself bears witness to the history of the Mediterranean city during WW2: the Memorial was set up in a former 1943 German bunker. More precisely the former bunker-infirmary of the Kriegsmarine (German navy). When Marseille was liberated in August 1944, the building was right in the middle of the fighting. On the 23rd, the first interview between General de Monsabert, the representative of the allied French forces and General Schaefer, the head of the German troops in Marseille, took place here to attempt to obtain the official surrender of the Germans in the town. The German military structures and their remains have now been rebuilt using an interactive device.