Camp de Rivesaltes - The Rivesaltes Memorial Museum

The Rivesaltes Memorial Museum

The memorial museum project has its origins in Serge Klarsfeld's 1978 publication of the list of deported Jews and Jews who died in the camp of Rivesaltes.

• In 1993, Klarsfeld published "The transfer of Jews from the camp of Rivesaltes and the Montpellier area towards the center of Drancy for deportation on August 10, 1942."

• On January 16, 1994, Klarsfeld's association "Sons and daughters of Jews deported from France" erected a monument to the memory of 2,313 Jews deported from the Rivesaltes camp to Auschwitz.

• On December 2, 1995, a monument to the Harkis was installed.

• In 1997, a collective petition "To the living memory of the camp of Rivesaltes" was signed by Simone Veil, Claude Simon, Edgar Morin and many citizens to protest against threats to destroy the camp.

• In 1998, Christian Bourquin, the new president of the General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales, opposed the destruction of the site and started public consultations on the project.

• On October 30, 1999, a stele was erected in memory of the Republicans of the Spanish Civil War.

• In 2000, the French Ministry of Culture included the site in its supplementary list of Monuments historiques.

• In 2005, on the French Heritage Day, part of the camp was opened to the public for the first time.

• Rudy Ricciotti won the architecture competition.

• Robert Badinter agreed to sponsor the project.

• In November 2005, the General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales acquired F block, about 42 hectares.

• On January 21, 2009, architect Rudy Ricciotti filed the construction permit. Work was expected to start in 2010 and take two years.