During my summer 2022 trip to Europe, I toured the Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris, which will play a part in one the WWII books I’m currently writing. During the German Occupation, the show went on.
Palais Garnier Opera House (Deposit Photos)
The Palais Garnier was commissioned by Napoleon III but opened in 1875 after his death. It’s located in the 9th Arrondissement and sits at the intersection of several wide boulevards. The architect, Charles Garnier, utilized several different styles to create the exterior of the opera house. When Empress Eugenie asked Garnier what architectural style he was using, he replied that “he’d created a new Napoleon III style.”
Garnier experienced a few setbacks during the building of the opera house. A lake was discovered under the site, and it had to be drained. A cistern was built to collect water, which is still in use today. French firefighters train to swim in the dark in this huge cistern or underground lake below the opera house. Although the ornate exterior was completed in 1869, the Franco-Prussian War brought construction to a halt.
The Grand Staircase (Deposit Photos)
The interior of the opera house is so opulent that it earned the moniker “Palais” from the beginning. The steps of the Grand Staircase are made of white marble, and the railing and its supports (balustrade) are made of red and green marble. The stairway leads to various floors and foyers of the theater.
The Grand Foyer (Deposit Photos)
Garnier designed the Grand Foyer to rival Marie Antoinette’s Palace at Versailles. The foyer is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking.
A Closer View of the Ceiling of the Grand Foyer. Courtesy of Author isogood via Wikimedia Commons
The auditorium, which seats just under 2000, was designed in the classic Italian opera house style. The horseshoe shape allows patrons to view each other as well as those on stage. An enormous eight-ton bronze and crystal chandelier hangs below a colorful painting, and the stage curtain is painted, providing the illusion of many curtains.
The Auditorium (Deposit Photos)
Several legends about the Palais Garnier inspired The Phantom of the Opera book and later the musical. Some of these legends are based on real events which took place long ago. In 1896 during a performance of the opera Helle, one of several counterweights holding up the chandelier in the auditorium broke off and fell through the ceiling. It killed one person in the audience and injured several others. A fire on the stage of the Paris Opera’s former location killed a ballerina and disfigured her fiance, a pianist. He supposedly went to live underground at the new opera house for the rest of his life. There’s also the rumor that a faceless man lived in the lake.
In the summer of 2022, I was blessed to take a research trip to Europe with fellow author Rebecca Davie. We visited many cities and areas where my works in progress (books) are set.
Deposit Photos
One of the places we visited was the Hôtel des Invalides (English: “house of invalids”) or Les Invalides in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris. French monarch Louis IV built the extensive complex to provide a hospital and retirement home for French veterans. Although these services are still provided on a small scale today, the buildings are primarily utilized for several museums and memorials dedicated to the military history of France. Two WWII museums are housed at the Invalides, so we spent the better part of a day viewing the exhibits but also couldn’t resist visiting Napoleon’s tomb.
Dôme des Invalides
Napoleon’s ashes reside in an elaborate tomb made of red quartzite, resting on a green granite base.
Napoleon’s TombThe Dome above Napoleon’s Tomb
The Museum of the Order of the Liberation
The Musee de l’Ordre de la Liberation contains three sections – the Internal Resistance, Free France, and Deportation. Dozens of artifacts, including uniforms, stories of Resistance members, British transceivers, and many other items used in the fight for liberation are on display.
After Nazi Germany crushed France, the French government of Marshal Petain signed the armistice, allowing part of the country to be occupied. General Charles de Gaulle, who had led a command during the Battle of France, fled to Britain and, over the BBC radio in London, called for France to continue the fight. Some Frenchmen who hadn’t been evacuated by the British or captured by the Germans took up the call and found a way to escape to England to join de Gaulle. Others stayed in France and participated in the Resistance. French women volunteered as well.
In July 1940, de Gaulle established Free France, a military and political organization supported by Winston Churchill. “Between 1940 and 1945, the Free French forces fighting on the land, on the sea, and in the air distinguished themselves on several continents by maintaining France’s presence in the world war.” (“Discover the Permanent Collections of the Museum of the Order of the Liberation” pamphlet distributed by the museum)
The Legion of Merit Medal
President Harry S. Truman awarded the Legion of Merit, one of the highest distinctions of the American armed forces, to General de Gaulle on August 30, 1945 for leading Free France in the fight alongside the Allies.
The Deportation section of the museum details the Nazi regime’s concentration camp system across Occupied Europe. “Victims were mainly resistance fighters, politicians, people who refused to work, and people rounded up in reprisals.” Seventy-four thousand Jews were transported from France to extermination camps with most assassinated upon arrival. The Nazis also deported 70,000 people from France for slave labor, many of whom died of hunger and exhaustion.
The Army Museum
The Musée de l’Armée contains many artifacts from France’s wars. The section on WWII contains many interesting items.
WWII BombsAmerican Light Artillery PieceGerman Underwater MineA U.S. Army Soldier’s KitDies and Stamps for Producing Forged Papers and LeafletsA Fake Identity CardInternment Camps in France (Expand bottom left key for descriptions)The German Cryptographic Machine – The “Enigma” – used to transmit military information by code, which was cracked by the Allies
Sources:
Information on display and in print at Les Invalides
Today I’m sharing information on several WWII museums located in France. Of course, there are many more than the five below, but these museums stand out as some of the most informative. The quoted material and photos are taken from the websites listed below (click on the names of the museums for the links).
“Located right in the heart of Paris in the prestigious setting of the Hôtel national des Invalides, the museum is home to one of the largest military history and art collections in the world, and offers a unique overview of the history of France.””A remarkable site full of history, the Hôtel des Invalides was founded by Louis XIV to house veterans and wounded soldiers. It now forms the unique, prestigious setting for the Musée de l’Armée.” –Information quoted from musement.
The Army Museum Invalides (also known by the two names shared above) contains three rooms dedicated to WWII.
The Nazi’s officially surrendered on May 7, 1945 at 2:41 AM at this location.
“Discover this historic event which took place, in secret, in the ‘card room’ set up in the modern and technical college (now high school Roosevelt), within the headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, commanded by General Eisenhower. Archives, uniforms and objects put the months leading up to the signing of the Nazi surrender in Reims into perspective. Relive the night that changed the face of the contemporary world, by entering the signature room, a major European memory, where the end of a tragedy also heralds the beginning of a long reconciliation.”
Many consider this enormous museum to be the best WWII museum in France. Although located in Normandy, its exhibits focus on all of WWII as well as D-Day.
“Located just a few kilometers from the D-Day beaches, the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy shows visitors all the key phases of the fighting and the day by day advances of the forces involved. It is essential preparation for visiting the memorial sites of summer 1944.”
This unique museum opened in 2016 for the purpose of sharing what life was like for the civilian population of Normandy during WWII. Testimonials of how civilians in this area of France lived and survived during the occupation, including their resistance, Jewish persecution, and the allied bombings are both informative and thought-provoking.
There are many WWII museums and memorials to be found throughout the USA. I’ve included many of the major ones in this blog post. Be sure to check out the links to obtain detailed information.
“Ranked by TripAdvisor as the #1 Attraction in New Orleans, named by USA Today as a top-ranking Best Place to Learn US Military History, and designated by Congress as America’s official museum about World War II, The National WWII Museum features a rich collection of artifacts that bring history to life” (The National WWII Museum Website).
“Discover the human story of World War II in the Pacific in more than 55,000 square feet of exhibit space spread over three galleries located on six acres in the heart of Fredericksburg, Texas. The National Museum of the Pacific War is the only museum in the continental U.S. solely dedicated to telling the story of WWII in the Pacific” (National Museum of the Pacific War Website).
The museum documents the Holocaust, “the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators” (USHMM website). Photos, artifacts, and testimonials give evidence to Holocaust events.
WWII artifacts, including over 15 tanks, are displayed as a part of the museum’s exhibitions. “At the American Heritage Museum you explore America’s conflicts, beginning with the Revolutionary War to today. You’ll discover, and interact with, our heritage through the History, the national effort developing new technologies of warfare, and the Human Impact of America’s fight to preserve the freedom we all hold dear” (American Heritage Museum Website).
Exhibits display aircraft flown by the Eighth Air Force, including a B-17 in the process of being restored. The mission of this museum is “to preserve for all Americans the stories of courage, character and patriotism displayed by the men and women of the Eighth Air Force from World War II to the present” (National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Sir Force Website).
“The Florida World War II Heritage Trail, a 72-page guidebook, includes color and archival photographs of Florida sites related to World War II, and biographical sketches of many men and women who played a significant role during the war. Produced by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources in association with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs World War II Memorial Project, Florida World War II Heritage Trail features more than 150 Florida World War II-related sites and military assets in 74 Florida cities from Pensacola to Key West” (Florida Division of Historical Resources Website).
Have you visited any of these museums shared today? Have you enjoyed visiting other WWII museums which are not included in today’s blog?
