In France, there is no memorial to the women who fought in the Resistance and were deported during the Second World War, dedicated to all those women, from all walks of life, of all faiths, famous or unknown, citizens without the right to vote, who committed themselves and suffered the horrors of the Nazis.

To fill this gap, on the initiative of the town of Les Lilas and the Musée de la Résistance nationale (MRN) network, the Mémorial national des femmes en résistance et en déportation (MNFRD) is to be set up at the Fort de Romainville in Les Lilas. Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, the development of this long-ignored site is essential to passing on the history and memory of women in the Resistance and Deportation, and the relevance of their struggles today.

This exceptional site, which bears witness to the darkest hours of our history, will be the site of a living, shared memory, thanks to a scientific, educational, cultural and social project that places at the heart of the democratic and civic issues involved in teaching this history.

Romainville Fort

Fort de Romainville is one of the fortifications of the Parisian ring road, built in the mid-19th century according to a model inspired by the works of Vauban.

Since 1867 and the creation of this commune, it has been located in Les Lilas. As a garrison site, it was assigned to the anti-aircraft defense of the capital. Evacuated after the French defeat in June 1940, it became the first German camp to be set up in occupied France.

Nearly 7,000 people were held there from 1940 to 1944, including almost 3,900 women. Associated with the Compiègne camp, the antechamber to the Nazi concentration camps, it was at the heart of German repressive policies in occupied France.

A memorial at the heart of the “Grand Lilas” project

The Mémorial national des femmes en résistance et en déportation is at the heart of the “Grand Lilas” urban project, which includes the development of the Fort de Romainville as part of the “Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris” call for projects.

This new district will offer living and business spaces, new housing, the preservation and enhancement of outstanding natural areas, the installation of sports facilities and a national memorial dedicated to remembrance and transmission. Grands Lilas, the new district of Les Lilas and the Est Ensemble territory, will be a new-generation facility for sustainable economic and social development.

The Memorial will comprise :

• A Place de la Mémoire, marking the entrance to the Memorial
• A rue des casemates and its works of art
• A permanent exhibition in the seven casemates dedicated to the Memorial
• A casemate entirely dedicated to the educational space
• A place for training and exchanges in casemate 18 to raise awareness among different audiences of the actions of women in the Resistance and their experiences during the deportation.
• The exceptional casemate 17, preserved, classified and presented, which includes 70 graffiti created by the fort's inmates, 53 of which have been identified: 39 by men and 14 by women. Thanks to the support of Patricia Mirallès, the French Minister for Veterans and Remembrance, the Ministry of the Armed Forces has financed the restoration of the graffiti in 2023.
• An outdoor pathway, preserving the former inmates' courtyard, transformed into a living space
• A carré des fusillés, a place of commemoration, which will be redeveloped and better linked to the Place des Arts.
• The installation of a monument to the 150 Jewish Lilacs men and women deported during the Second World War.

Off-site programming from 2025

Ahead of its opening in 2028, the Mémorial national des femmes en résistance et en déportation has designed a 2025 program in partnership with several institutions, in order to begin focusing on the subjects and issues that will be at the heart of the future memorial.

A relay teacher from the DAAC Créteil has been attached to the association since September 2024.

In partnership with the Office national des combattants et victimes de guerre, and with the support of the Mission du 80e anniversaire de la Libération, the first MNFRD traveling exhibition will be presented at the Hôtel des Invalides from March 8, 2025.