After watching videos of the 80th anniversary D-Day commemoration in June, Liz decided her upcoming visit to Paris must include a dose of history.
The Michigan student said she was struck by the solemn ceremony that took place at the American Cemetery in Normandy, which attracted leaders from around the world and several veterans of the war who were older than 100.
“Joe Biden and many other heads of state were there. Inevitably, it brought back memories for us in the States”, said the 22-year-old girl, on a recent day as she toured the Paris Liberation Museum, along with several other young Americans.
The small museum on the Left Bank of Paris commemorates the liberation of the French capital in August 1944 but begins five years earlier when France went to war. Like Liz, many Americans take advantage of a trip to Paris to visit the Paris Liberation Museum, where a number of events are dedicated to their contribution to this major event for France.
I like the narrative dimension of this museum. As you walk around, the chronology goes from the beginning of the story to its end.
Ken
Many American tourists marvel at the many archives, photographs, uniforms and other objects recalling the Liberation. The atmosphere at the Paris Liberation Museum on this December afternoon is calm.
Ken from California marveled at photographs that showed some French officers : “I like the narrative dimension of this museum. As you walk around, the chronology goes from the beginning of the story to its end. I particularly like the emphasis on the two main characters, General Leclerc and Jean Moulin”, confides the man who has come from California for two weeks, with a few friends he left behind, as he was absolutely determined to make this visit rich in meaning for him.
This period resonates with Ken’s own experience: “I was in the army for a while, so I’m particularly interested in military history. Last week, I also went to the Army Museum here in Paris. That’s my area of interest, I guess”, says the thirty-something, who now works for the police.
Family memory
For Kelly, 38, also from California, the war is personal. Someone in his immediate family who was militarily involved in the warThe exhibits showing the american deployment allowed her to understand the journey of her great-grandfather, who fought in France : “He started in Africa, then was moved to Britain to help with D-Day in Normandy,” she said. “Then he was in Paris, Belgium and then in Berlin. We have a map of the places he went during the war and the battles he was part of.”
Liz was keen to visit the Paris Liberation Museum, despite the thousands of places to see in the French capital: “In our history textbooks, our participation in the Second World War is very high on the list. I’ve been bottle-fed these stories, so for my first visit to France, it seemed important to devote some time to them. Especially in this anniversary year, it’s so special”.
A lire aussi : https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/patrimoine/incendie-de-notre-dame-de-paris/notre-dame-les-americains-sont-les-plus-grands-donateurs-apres-les-francais_6918287.html : Eight decades after the liberation of France, a museum is bringing history alive for a new generation“History is important and we should remember it, otherwise it repeats itself”, Kelly asserts in a serious tone. Originally from California like Ken, the young woman, who voted for Harris in the last presidential election, is worried about the new Trump era opening up for her country.
In the basement of this museum, which opened in 2019, an immersive show is about to begin. It promises to retrace the key moments of 1944, the decisive year. Liz won’t miss it. “My generation is still interested in the seminal events of the Second World War, and I think the animations enabled by artificial intelligence are a way of keeping that memory alive for younger people”, she says.
One thing’s for sure, she can’t wait to immerse herself, for forty-five minutes, in this seminal moment for this country, for Europe and for France.
Constantin Gaschignard