WWII sites in Paris

Dawn,

One site you might consider is the Invalides Museum, as it has good displays of WW-II items. Unless you're really interested, ignore the section on medieval weapons.

Post another note if you need information on WW-II sites in London. There are some significant and interesting choices there!

Cheers!

"WW2 sites in Paris": you're the first (at this forum) to ask that question. Paris is known for many things, but is not often thought of in association with "WW2 sights." 2 days is just barely enough time to scratch the surface of the many wonderful things there are to do in Paris. I had the same thought as Ken, the Invalides military museum is about it. Chasing down WW2 sites, if there are any in Paris, should not be high on your itinerary, not in Paris. The city was liberated from Nazi occupation in the months following the Normandy invasion but Paris was not the scene of major fighting, unlike Normandy locations such as Bayeux and Caen.

Hitler gave the order for Paris to be razed to the ground in the final days before it was liberated. Fortunately he was disobeyed by the German general in Paris at the time!

Well, my favorite is the bar at the Ritz Hotel:

"OF ALL the legends surrounding Ernest Hemingway, one of the most colorful concerns his personal liberation of the bar at the Paris Ritz, as the Germans retreated from the city fifty years ago."

Here is the article:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n21_v46/ai_15930046/

Sorry! I realize it is probably not of much help, but I couldn't resist!

I agree that Invalides is a great start. The museum is actually in the military "retirement" home/hospital. The WWI and WW2 sections were renovated recently and are very good.

As you walk around Paris, it is easy to notice the placards on the buildings stating that "at this location, so and so was killed on date..." Makes this part of the experience more real.

In regards to the plan to destroy Paris, watch Is Paris Burining before you go. Then you can equate some of the sites from the movie to the real things in central Paris.

Les Invalides is a great start... but that's about it for Paris and WWII, because as others have noted, the conquering Germans and liberating French and American armies entered the city unopposed. Plus, the French don't attach much pride to the events of WWII.

You haven't indicated if your trip includes any stops before Paris. If you're coming from the direction of Germany, there are many more WWI and WWII sites in the northeast of France that also might interest your daughter's friend.

I need to think a bit before responding to Tom's comment regarding "pride"...Over the years I've been to many remembrance ceremonies for too many wars...Anyhow, if WW2 is a Paris goal, go visit Les Invalides..or maybe the Holocaust Museum..don't have a guidebook at hand, but it's near the Marais and commerates the Shoah...Other than that, enjoy the obvious in Paris, and remember that it wasn't easy for people living in the city during WW2...

Perhaps I should have clarified my remarks with the addition of "... compared to the US, Britain or Russia." My own informal survey would count far more monuments dedicated to the French role in WWI than WWII.

Thank you all for the helpful comments. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fulfill her desire to see WWII sites in Paris. We will be coming from Italy to Paris. The cities before we reach Paris will be Florence, Rome & Venice/Veneto area then depart Milan for Paris.

I realize this is not the page for Italy but I thought I'd just throw it out there since it's the precursor to our arrival in France. I guess I should pose the same question on the other pages for more input.

Is Normandy even doable in such a short span of time? I'm thinking Paris is a must and Normandy is for another trip. Am I even on the right track here? Thanks again for all your input!

By "Is Normandy even doable", I assume you mean visiting the locations of the Allied D-Day invasion landings, not the entire region, which is comparable in size to the states of Maryland and Massachussetts(reading many threads, it's not always clear what the oringal poster means by "Normandy"). Without a car, it is difficult to do more than catch more than a fairly short glimpse at one beach (the invasion stretched over a fairly large area) in one day from Paris. To really explore the beaches and gain an understanding of the invasion, you need to either have a rental car and devote at least 2 nights in the area, or take an organized tour, most of which also require an overnight stay.

Dawn, you simply will not have enough time to scratch the surface of the WWII tourism desired if Normandy is considered. The Normandy sites are quite spread out and there's interesting stuff in the smaller museums like in Bayeux and Arromanches. Les Invalides in Paris will take the majority of a day. Naturally, even the subject of museum viewing is open to interpretation as it pertains to the amount of time required. There are people who stroll steadily through rooms glancing at the stuff, and there are those who stop and read the descriptions of displays and really soak it in. I don't know which category your traveling party would fall under, but there is plenty to see at Invalides.

Even if WWII is the focus, while at Les Invalides you MUST at least walk over and see the Napoleonic War era hardware. You won't see that stuff anywhere else in such quantity, and I'd be quite surprised to hear someone interested in militaria of any form say it wasn't worth the time spent.

Yes, "Normandy" refers to the D-Day Beaches,etc. I think it will be something for another time since we don't have the days to devote to it. Thanks again for the input!

It's not Omaha Beach, but I'd include the Deportation Memorial, on Ile de la Cite, on Paris's short list of WWII sights.

Dawn,

One other thought regarding your proposed visit to Normandy, is that this year is the 65th Anniversary of the invasion, and it's going to be a VERY busy place. Even though your visit would be around the end of May, I suspect it's going to be hectic even then.

Given that you'll only be in Paris for two days and that travel to Normandy and back even by train is going to take the better part of a day, I'd suggest limiting your visit to Paris this time. Plan for Normandy on a future visit, when you have the time to really see the sites properly (make a note of BattleBus Tours in your trip planner, as they provide awesome and memorable tours).

Cheers!

Dawn, one place you should definitely visit is the Musee Jean Moulin and the Musee General Marechal LeClerc/Liberation de Paris (that's not quite the name, but close enough). This is DEFINITELY a WWII site, and is fascinating. There are lots of displays, and a timeline of the events of the war, which runs a timeline for the French, German, and American involvement. On the second floor, there is a 15-20 minute wraparound film of the liberation of Paris. Jean Moulin is a famous resistant, captured and executed without naming anyone. The museums are on top of the Gare Montparnasse, where there is also a lovely garden. Just go into the Montparnasse train station, go up to the level where the trains leave, and look, to the left of the tracks, for stairs going up, take them, and voila, you are there. This is one of my favorite, and non-touristy, places to go in Paris.

Thanks for all the insight & tips. I'll be sure to keep them on file for this trip and hopefully a longer return trip to France.

Susan, thank you for that great tip/idea. There are many sites in Paris that the average tourist does NOT know about,, its great you were able to pass that on.

As noted by another poster, there are little plaques along street walls sometimes, so sad, they mark the spot that people were killed,, resistance fighters,, etc.. It is sad to see them.. makes you think,, Paris is not all crossiants and boat cruises. I don't know much about them, I have just seen them and read them ( they are in french, and my french is poor, but I get what they are basically saying) .

It is such a dreadful shame you only have two days in Paris, a visit to the Normandy D Day area etc ,, would have been great,, but with only two days,, I couldn't recommend going.

Re Paris and its relative lack of "WW2 sights" (relative compared to other locations where large-scale combat occurred)--it could have been much worse:

The German commander(s) in charge on the ground in Paris could have followed their orders from higher-ups which (I have read) were to blow up key parts of the city before leaving.

If that had happened, today we'd be looking at late 1940's or 1950's reconstructed replicas instead of the originals, as is the case (the replicas) with some German, French and other cities/towns that were largely destroyed in WW2.

Wonder if the Eiffel Tower was on the German "blow it up" list, and whether La Tour would have been replicated, if it had been blown up?

The Deportation Memorial is a very moving tribute to those people hauled off to the concentration camps -- Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, whatever type people Hitler didn't like.

This is located past the eastern end of Notre Dame.

Yes, Janice; and unfortunately the Deportation Memorial is easy for the casual visitor to miss, which is too bad.

Hi, having done a search for WWII and paris on the internet, i came across these postings. I'm going to Paris in a couple of weeks, just for a few days. Like your daughter's friend m, i am interested in things to dowith WWII. I'm not really interested in military items, more the lives of people who lived through the war.
I just wanted to thank all the people who replied to Dawn, as , obviously their answers are helping me too. I now know to keep my eyes open for the plaques on street walls, and I will go to the museum commemorating the resitance fighter.
For anyone else interested in this kind of thing, I have also heard that that there is a tour inthe caacombs where the resistance held meetings.
I'm also curious as to how the trip went. ;)

Everyone has explained the lack of WWII sights in Paris. I was on a ship in Le Havre and took the train to Paris 2 weeks after the Germans had left.

I assure you there are no sights; we took the only guided tour of the city (which was offered by the Red Cross). Even the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower were still closed to tourists.

Alot of postings, but little help for Dawn. I've given tours on the suject...so here we go: 1. Hotel Meurice @ 228 rue de Rivoli served as headquarters for General von Choltitz ("Is Paris Burning" is a must see before you go); 2. Jewish Martys Memorial & Museum @ 17 rue Geoffrey-Asnier with many archives and exhibitions; 3. The Deportation Monument at the rear of Notre-Dame was established in 1962 by de Gaulle and is a bit eerie...you will be searched by the guard; 4. The Prefecture of Police Building across the street from Notre-Dame still bears the bullet scars from pre-liberation battle; 5. Luxemboug Palace was the headquarters of the Luftwaffe and its gardens was once a parking lot for elements of the 2nd Panzer and Panzer Lehr Divisions...neat pictures inside of all the tanks; 6. The Museum of the Order of the Liberation with two large galleries of photos and artifacts; 7. The Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget Airport with several WWI & WWII aircraft including an original V1 and an He-162 Volksjager jet fighter.

Allow a good half day just to do the Musee de Armee at des Invalides. This is also a great place to pick up a multi-day museum pass...well worth it!

Try the fromage et jambon crepe at the corner stall on Grenelle and le Tour Maubourg. Delicieux!!!

Ed

Ed, thanks for taking the time to give us the substantive details. I'm bookmarking your post, so that when we have "where are the Paris WW2 sights?" in the future, I can link them to your post.

Wow Carl, you must have some very interesting stories about Paris at that time...I, for one, would love to hear them! :)

Paris Walks has a walking tour called "Paris during the Occupation." I thought they had one on the French Resistance but don't see it on the schedule that I have for this year. They are www.paris-walks.com. e-mail: [email protected] The tours are in English.

Thanks for this tip Swan! I would love this tour.

There are many tangible links to World War II to be seen in and around Paris. One suggestion would be to visit Drancy, which once served as a deportation camp.

http://sortir-a-paris-visite-de-l-ile-de-france.transilien.com/memorial-du-camp-de-drancy-visite-drancy-sorties-e-21712244

We went to the Deportation Memorial last year and not only were not searched by a guard, but never saw any guards.
I would certainly not characterize the experience as eerie. The monument was extremely well thought out in its design, allowing the viewer to experience isolation, solitude, silence, mental pain and anguish for those exterminated, and great sorrow. I believe it achieves the goal for which it was created.

My wife, daughter and myself were searched at the Deportation Memorial by a uniformed police officer this past April. He just had us open our backpacks and zip open our windbreakers. No hastle and I'm glad he was there. Jewish sites have been increasingly vandalized throughout Paris over the past few years.

didn't do that paris-walks tour but did one with them - a louvre highlights tour (at night) which we reaaly enjoyed.

sorry about my lack of caps - i am eating an apple and typing one handed.

ANYBODY INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC SHOULD READ THE BOOK "IS PARIS BURNING?" IT LENDS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT WWII SITES PER SE.

SORRY FOR THE ALL CAPS BUT MY ALL CAPS KEY IS ON AND I JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO TURN IT OFF.