Jean Moulin Centre, Bordeaux

The Centre Jean Moulin is housed in an elegant 19th century former bank, on rue Vital-Carles. The Centre is in effect a World War 2 museum, charting the war in France through three separate exhibitions – the Resistance movement in France, the Deportation of Jews, and the Free French Forces. The museum was opened in 1967 by Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a member of the Resistance who later became Mayor of Bordeaux. It is named after Jean Moulin, the first president of the National Resistance Council. The museum hosts a huge amount of paraphernalia relating to the Resistance, including clandestine printing presses and magazines used by this undercover army.

The centre also hosts a permanent exhibition on the Free French Forces, an army comprised of soldiers that had escaped from occupied France. Led by General de Gaulle, they joined the Allied Forces in fighting Nazi oppression. The third area of the museum is dedicated to documenting the mass deportation of Jews, as well as Resistance members and others who fought Nazi invasion. In addition to the artefacts and documents on display, the centre also houses an extensive document library. The Centre Jean Moulin is open to the public from 2pm to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday, and offers guided tours to group visits.