Maison d'Izieu, Memorial to exterminated Jewish children
About
A place of life that has become a place of national remembrance, the Maison d'Izieu, a museum and memorial, offers visitors the opportunity to discover history, justice and remembrance today through guided tours of the house and its permanent and temporary exhibitions.
In this house opened by Sabine and Miron Zlatin, more than a hundred Jewish children were taken in from the spring of 1943 to April 1944 in order to escape from anti-Semitic persecution. On the morning of 6 April 1944, the 44 children and the 7 educators who were there were rounded up and deported on the orders of K. Barbie, one of the heads of the Gestapo in Lyon. From then on, the Maison d'Izieu became one of the first places of memory dedicated to the Shoah.
The history of the children of the Colonie d'Izieu is known throughout the world following the Nuremberg trial in 1945 and the trial of K. Barbie in Lyon in 1987. The latter was the first trial for crimes against humanity in France, thanks to the action of the Klarsfeld couple and numerous witnesses. The day after the trial, Sabine Zlatin and the former sub-prefect of Belley, Pierre-Marcel Wiltzer, formed the "Musée-Mémorial des enfants d'Izieu" association. The President of the Republic, François Mitterrand, included the project of a museum dedicated to the children of Izieu in his programme of major works to make it "a place of memory, education and life".
Since the presidential decree of 1993, the Maison d'Izieu, along with the Vélodrome d'Hiver and the Gurs camp, has been one of the three sites of national remembrance of "the victims of racist and anti-Semitic persecution and crimes against humanity committed with the complicity of the Vichy government, known as the government of the French State (1940-1944)".
The memorial-museum was opened in 1994 by the President of the Republic François Mitterrand.
Its extension was inaugurated in 2015 by the President of the Republic François Hollande.
Classified as a historical monument, the Memorial-Museum is one of the most important places of memory to visit in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
When you arrive, a striking setting awaits you: the beauty of the place contrasting with the history it bears. At the end of the road, you will see the house with the blue shutters. As you walk through the site, you can stop at the 1993 national stele and the commemorative plaques on the house to pay your respects and try to understand.
The house
The house contains letters, drawings and photos that bear witness to daily life at the Colony from the spring of 1943 to the roundup on 6 April 1944. During your visit, you will go through the different rooms of the house: the classroom, the refectory, the dormitories...
The house can only be visited accompanied by a mediator and by reservation. Visits take place at regular times. Consult the website. (Duration: 50 min)
The museum
Near the house, the museum is fully integrated into the old barn. The three areas of the permanent exhibition and its many digital devices allow visitors to discover the historical context of the Second World War, the networks for the rescue of Jewish children, international criminal justice and the construction of memory today.
The building houses the bookshop, the documentation and research centre, educational rooms and a gallery of original documents from unpublished collections. An exhibition is scheduled every year from April to October. (Duration: 2 hours to visit the permanent exhibition)
In addition to the visit to the house and the museum, a cultural and scientific programme is offered throughout the year: temporary exhibitions, symposiums, conferences, seminars, concerts, meetings with authors, etc. Four commemorations per year invite people to gather: 27 January, 6 April, last Sunday in April and 16 July.
Today, the Maison d'Izieu is a place of welcome and vigilance which aims to deliver, through the memory of the children and educators of the Colonie d'Izieu, a universal message and to act against all forms of intolerance and racism.
Services & facilieties
- Picnic area
- Lift
- Covered picnic area
- Toilets
- Public WC
- Air conditioning
- Exhibition space
- Car park
- Defibrillator
- Meeting room
- Parking nearby
- Coach parking
- Private parking
- Educational visits
- Coach access
- Motorhomes allowed
- Booking obligatory
- Themed tour
- Shop
- Set down on-site for groups
- Permanent entertainments organiser
- Wi-fi
- Tourist brochures
- Tourist information
- Booking of general amenities
- Guided tours
- Spot photo
Opening
From 01/01 to 31/12, daily.
Closed exceptionally on January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.
Monday to Friday: 1pm - 5pm or 10am - 5pm school holidays (zone A) and public holidays
- Saturday (April to August only): 10am - 6pm
- Sunday (February to October): 10am - 6pm
- Every day (July-August): 10am - 6pm
You can check the opening times on the website (subject to change).
Closed during the Christmas holidays and on 1 May.
Guided tour of the Maison d'Izieu :
- Weekdays 3.30pm only
- Saturdays and Sundays, 11am, 3pm and 4pm and themed tour at 2pm
- School holidays: 11am, 3pm and 4pm and themed tour at 2pm.
Informations
Number of equipped meeting rooms : 3
Rates
Full price: 9 to 12 €
Reduced price: 7 to 10 €
Teenager: 5 €.
Free entry for children < 8 years, accompanying guides, the drivers, teachers.
Group rate available for > 20 people.
Mode of payment
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American Express
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Check
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Cash
- Pass’Région
- Online payment
Complement welcome
-Reservations are recommended for individuals. Ticket sales end 30 minutes before the memorial closes. Tickets are valid for the whole day. -Reservations required for groups. -Bookshop -Picnic allowed in the orchard. No catering on site. For people with reduced mobility: The exhibition area is fully accessible and the house is partially accessible (accessible ground floor, threshold ramps). A document presents the first floor of the house. Some of the corridors in the house are narrow and may cause problems of circulation depending on the size of the wheelchair. It is recommended to come accompanied because of the uneven paving stones on the access paths. The Maison d'Izieu team remains at the disposal of visitors.
Groups
Minimum number of people : 20
Maximum number of people : 150
Languages spoken
- German
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Italian
