The building's basement retains its original configuration, including the cells where prisoners were interrogated and tortured.
The museum was inaugurated in 1992, on the 50th anniversary of the first deportation of Jews from Lyon.
Klaus Barbie, known as the 'Butcher of Lyon,' used this address as his base of operations from 1943 to 1944.
The collection includes a significant number of original documents recovered from resistance networks and personal family archives.
The site was officially repurposed as a museum to ensure the history of the French Resistance was preserved in a location central to its narrative.
The Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation (CHRD) is located in the former headquarters of the Gestapo in Lyon, commanded by Klaus Barbie during the Nazi occupation. The museum focuses on the history of the French Resistance, the persecution of Jewish people, and the deportation of political prisoners from the region. It is situated in the 19th-century building of the former School of Military Health. The permanent exhibition uses archival footage, period artifacts, and interactive displays to document the civilian and military struggle against the Vichy regime and German forces. It serves as a place of memory and educational research regarding the human rights violations of World War II. The facility manages a specialized library and a collection of personal testimonies from survivors.
The main staircase and the architectural exterior, which retains the austere, imposing character of the original military school.
Use the audio guide to better understand the significance of the recovered documents and testimonies.
Focus your time on the basement area, which provides the most direct historical connection to the site's function during the war.
Check for temporary thematic exhibitions in the lobby area before beginning the permanent collection tour.
Do not expect a light-hearted or fast-paced experience; the content is emotionally heavy and requires time to process.
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Maintain a quiet and respectful demeanor throughout the facility, as the exhibits cover sensitive and tragic historical events.
