Cemeteries and memorials to visit Rhônes-Alpes

An edifying visit to pass on the memory to the young, hoping that barbarism will never return. Built in 1939, a few months after the declaration of war with Nazi Germany, requisitioned by the German army from February 1943 to August 1944, the Montluc prison is part of the Nazi repressive system in the heart of the "Capital of the Resistance". Under the control of the terrible Gestapo and Klaus Barbie, it was the place of detention of Jean Moulin, André Frossard, the children of Izieu and many Jewish families. Montluc was the prison of more than 10,000 victims of the Third Reich authorities. Resistance fighters, Jews, civilians, all knew the harshness of the conditions of detention. Montluc was often only a stage in the journey towards deportation and often extermination. The prison closed its doors for good in 2009. Montluc is not a museum, but a place of memory. Since January 2022, the building, which has remained close to its original state, has been restored and rehabilitated to better welcome visitors, particularly for accessibility, and to give an account to all audiences of a history that must not be forgotten. The work, planned until 2025, does not currently allow a complete visit of the prison, including the outer courtyards and some parts of the building visible at different times. A visit strongly recommended.