croixThe Genesis of the Project

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Welcome to the Memorial Charles de Gaulle a site dedicated to the life and work of Charles de Gaulle, the most famous French figure of the 20th century, and an opportunity to relive history.

The Memorial

“This is my home”. It is in these words that Charles de Gaulle liked to evoke Colombey-les-deux-églises.
It was in this village that he decided to settle with his family in 1934, and it was here that he made history by greeting the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
He, his wife and his daughter Anne are buried here.
Located at the foot of the Cross of Lorraine, the Memorial Charles de Gaulle is conceived as one element in an itinerary devoted to the memory of the General and which includes his family home, La Boisserie, and his grave.

 

A journey into the past: an interactive exhibition accessible to all

lolMuch more than a traditional presentation of the man who launched the “ Appeal of the 18 June” or of the first President of the 5th French Republic, the Memorial constitutes a true rendezvous with the history of the 20th century and an encounter with Charles de Gaulle.

The Memorial is a site of living history comprising a wide variety of media conceived by the exhibition designers Christian Le Conte and Geneviève Noirot. It is equipped with the very latest technology (multimedia terminals, films on giant screens, objects, sound creation, décors, written commentaries, virtual theatre, dioramas, sound and audiovisual archives) and is accessible to all. By using groundbreaking scenography and modern architecture, the Memorial seeks to place the personality of Charles de Gaulle squarely in the modern world and at the same time among the countryside of Colombey-les-deux-églises to which he was so attached.
Both the Memorial's architects and exhibition designers have concentrated their work on General de Gaulle's attachment to the land of Colombey-les-deux églises and its countryside. The mission entrusted to the architects Mr. Millet and Mr. Chilou was thus to integrate the Memorial in the landscape without disturbing it: the ecologically-inspired building, ensconced between field and wood, blends with the surrounding vegetation.

Whether conceived on an intimate or a majestic scale, the scenographic volumes are always part of a permanent relationship with the landscapes that were such a profound source of inspiration to General de Gaulle.