The Second World War was not so long ago - it was only 80 years ago that the capital was liberated from Nazi occupation. To celebrate this anniversary in style, the city of Paris is mixing tributes and festivities throughout the week of August 19 to 25, 2024, the dates of the liberation by the Allied forces. The commemorations will be marked by the passage of the Paralympic flame at the end of the week, providing an opportunity for sharing and joy.
Two ceremonies are organized, at 4:30 pm at the Porte de Vincennes metro station, to pay tribute to RATP employees who fell victim to Nazism, and to railway worker Louis Bouchet, who was shot on August 22, 1944. At 6.30pm, the flame of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe will be rekindled, a moment you can attend free of charge.
A wreath-laying ceremony in memory ofAssistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) staff who died during the war is scheduled to take place at the institution's headquarters, at 34 rue Crozatier. At 6:30 p.m., another rekindling of the flame at the Arc du Triomphe for staff from the Ministry of the Interior.
At 11 a.m., a ceremony under the vaulted ceiling of the Paris City Hall pays tribute to the city councillors shot by the occupying forces. At 3pm, we head for the Musée de la Libération de Paris, for theinauguration of a free exhibition dedicated to the column commanded by Captain Dronne, made up mainly of Spanish Republican men from the "Nueve", who were the first military unit to enter Paris.
The Musée de la Libération de Paris, a visit to the heart of the Resistance
Lovers of contemporary history will be delighted by the new Musée de la Libération de Paris - Musée du Général Leclerc - Musée Jean Moulin. Inaugurated in August 2019, it brings together works and other historical documents from the Musée du Général Leclerc, originally located above the Gare Montparnasse, as well as from Antoinette Sasse and the Fondation du Maréchal Leclerc de Hauteclocque. [Read more]
Two wreath-laying ceremonies are scheduled: at 12pm, in tribute to civil servants and elected officials of the City of Paris, at the Hôtel de Ville, and at 3pm, in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, in tribute to the Resistance fighter Madeleine Riffaud. From 7pm, a free musical evening awaits you at the halle des Blancs Manteaux to pay tribute to "the Spanish antifascists of the Nueve".
80th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris: popular ball, swing initiations and concert
2024 celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944. To mark the occasion, Paris is organizing a large-scale free public ball, with a wide range of entertainment on the program. [Read more]
At 11am, a plaque in memory of the Dronne column will be unveiled at the corner of rue des Peupliers and rue Brillat-Savarin in the 13th arrondissement, before the inauguration of avenue Hubert Germain, in the 16th arrondissement, named after the last of the Compagnons de la Libération.
At 6pm, a commemoration ceremony will pay tribute to the soldiers of the "Nueve" on the esplanade des Villes Compagnon, in the presence of Spanish authorities. From 7pm, a grand bal de la Libération awaits you on the Hôtel de Ville square, with concerts and an introduction to swing, before the bells of Parisian churches ring out in unison at 9pm.
A big day ahead! We start with a mass for the 2nd Armored Division at Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois church, at 10 a.m., along with a commemorative ceremony at the Arbre de la Libération, place de la bataille de Stalingrad. At 10:30 a.m., we head for the Gare de l'Est for a ceremony in front of the plaque commemorating the departure of deportees from the Gare de l'Est. At noon, the French flag will be hoisted on the Eiffel Tower by the Paris fire department, along with a wreath-laying ceremony in tribute to José Manuel Baron Carreño, leader of the Spanish guerillas, at the Pantin cemetery in Paris.
At 2.30pm, a ceremony to mark the German surrender takes place in front of the former Gare Montparnasse, Place du 18 juin 1940, before a new ceremony in tribute to the 2nd Armored Division, at 3.45pm in front of the monument to General Leclerc. The main ceremony begins at 4.15pm, with the departure of the military parade from Porte d'Orléans to Place Denfert-Rochereau.
An hour later, on the latter, the official commemoration will begin in the presence ofEmmanuel Macron and Anne Hidalgo, marked by thearrival of the Paralympic flame, carried by a collective relay of the Compagnons de la Libération, before the bells of Parisian churches ring out at 7:30pm to mark the end of the commemorations. The Patrouille de France will also fly over the capital at 7pm, from Porte de Saint-Ouen to Porte d'Orléans with 8 aircraft.
Paralympic Games: a 13th flame will commemorate the Liberation of Paris, then go to Rock en Seine
After the Olympic flame, the Paralympic version will soon begin its relay, on August 25. Following its passage under the English Channel, it will come to the capital for the first time to commemorate the Liberation of Paris, and will make a festival tour! [Read more]
Dates and Opening Time
From August 19, 2024 to August 25, 2024
Prices
Free
Official website
www.paris.fr
