In order to respond to requests from the public who came in large numbers to discover the history of the plateau during World War II, the commune of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon wished to create a space both as a memorial of those who perished and as a centre of historical education.
To respect the territory and its history, we chose to renovate the former cross-country ski resting point as well as an unoccupied section of the nearby primary school. Adjacent to the local school and facing the temple, the Memorial is well-situated in a historical and symbolic location within the heart of the village.
With the aim to link the two buildings, architect David Fargette envisioned a glass solarium which invited natural light into the space while assuring high visibility of the Memorial within the village centre.
The arrangement of exhibits was created by l’Atelier des Charrons. It allows visitors to interact with different mediums such as films, informational panels, touch screens, slideshows, and so on. As such, the exhibits address the heterogenous needs of a varied public.
To conceive the exhibition path, the Commune called together a Scientific Committee composed of specialists. Furthermore, the Commune worked closely with various experts, historians, and local associations. The research conducted for the museography led to the constitution of a largely unprecedented documentary base of information.
From 2010 to 2013, it took three years of work before the Memorial could welcome the public. This time was used to obtain funding, conduct historical research, conceptualise the Memorial’s architecture and scenography, build the Memorial itself, and so on.
