If there's one weekend of the year when you need to get out and about in Paris and the Ile-de-France region, it's the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) on September 21 and 22, 2024! Museums, unusual places, parks and gardens - these are just some of the historic spots to visit duringfree events to learn a whole host of anecdotes about our beautiful heritage. Just a short metro ride from Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis offers a wealth of curiosities to discover!
Fort de Romainville is a case in point, although its history is more tragic than anything else. A Vauban-type military defense fort located in the town of Les Lilas since 1867, it is best known for its role during the Second World War, from the autumn of 1940 onwards, when it served as an internment camp for 7,000 people, mostly women resistance fighters. Originally built to protect Paris at the request of Adolphe Thiers, it served as a refuge for the city's inhabitants during the Franco-German war of 1870.
Since 1984, the Fort has been home to the TDF tower, designed by architect Claude Vasconi and built in a decommissioned part of the enclosure. The 141-meter tower serves the whole of France, transmitting radio and television programs. For six years, the site was also a non-visitable annex of the Musée National de la Marine, housing the museum's reserves. Since 2017, a new project has been underway to transform part of the Fort into a memorial site.
Bus tour of four WWII sites in Seine-Saint-Denis linked to Nazi repression and persecution
Bus tour of four WWII sites in Seine-Saint-Denis linked to Nazi repression and persecution: two sites in the making and partially accessible, linked to the repression of the Resistance (the Fort de Romainville in Les Lilas and the Quai aux bestiaux in Pantin) and two open sites, linked to the persecution of French Jews: the deportation station in Bobigny and the Shoah Memorial, opposite the Cité de la Muette, the former Drancy camp.
An initiative of the Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis, in partnership with Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme, the Musée de la Résistance Nationale and the town of Les Lilas, the town of Pantin, the Deportation Station Memorial and the town of Bobigny, the Shoah Memorial as part of the "Mémoires en réseau: histoire et patrimoine de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en Seine-Saint-Denis" program.
Our reading and video recommendations:
Collection "Lieux d'histoire et de mémoire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en Seine-Saint-Denis", available on the Atlas of architecture and heritage
- Le fort de Romainville aux Lilas (1940-1944)
- Le camp de la cité de la Muette à Drancy (1941-1944)
- Les gares de déportation de la région parisienne (1940 - 1944)
Collection "Lieux d'histoire et de mémoire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en Seine-Saint-Denis", available on the YouTube channel of the Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis
- Le camp du fort de Romainville aux Lilas
- Le camp de la cité de la Muette à Drancy
Dates and Opening Time
On September 22, 2024
Location
Fort de Romainville
10 Avenue du Président Robert Schuman
93260 Lilas (Les)
Prices
Free
Official website
journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr
