On a quiet street in the Marais, steps from the Seine in Paris’s 4th arrondissement, the Mémorial de la Shoah is France’s largest museum, archive and documentation center devoted to the genocide of Europe’s Jews. Opened in 2005 around the earlier Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr, it draws travelers who want to understand the Holocaust through French eyes, and entry is free for individual visitors (Mémorial de la Shoah).
The visit begins outside at the Wall of Names, where stone panels list about 76,000 Jews deported from France, most of whom never returned. Below ground, a hushed crypt holds a black marble Star of David containing ashes recovered from death camps and the Warsaw Ghetto. The permanent exhibition traces Vichy-era persecution and the Paris roundups through letters, identity cards, film and testimony. A gallery of photographs of deported children, many collected by Serge Klarsfeld, affects most visitors deeply. The Wall of the Righteous on the adjoining Allée des Justes honors French citizens who sheltered Jews.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The Mémorial typically opens Sunday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, stays open until 10pm on Thursdays, and closes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Check the official calendar before visiting during the autumn holiday season. Expect a bag check at the entrance. Weekday mornings are the quietest, since school groups tend to arrive later. Groups must book in advance, and guided group tours cost €49 (Mémorial de la Shoah). Take Métro line 1 to Saint-Paul or line 7 to Pont Marie. Afterward, walk to the Hôtel de Sens or cross to Île Saint-Louis.
