Fort Montluc
Encyclopedia
Fort Montluc is a former prison located on rue Jeanne Hachette in the 3rd arrondissement
of Lyon
, France
.
Built between 1831 and 1835 for use as a military prison, after the invasion
of the unoccupied zone
of Vichy France
in November 1942, the Gestapo
used it as a prison, interrogation centre and internment camp for those waiting for transfer to concentration camps
. It is estimated that over 15,000 people were imprisoned in Montluc, and over 900 of them were executed within it.
Montluc was liberated on 24 August 1944 by FFI
troops, when resistance leader Colonel Köenig, profiting from the chaos reigning in Lyon at the time, entered the Fort in a stolen German Army car disguised as a Gestapo officer and persuaded the Commandant to free the prisoners, saying that the order had come from the Gestapo Commander in Lyon, Klaus Barbie
.
In 1947, Montluc became a civil prison once again, finally closing in 1997, though the female maison d'arrêt
was not closed until May 2009. The property of the Ministry of Interior
from 1969, the site, which was in poor condition, was completely rebuilt between 2005 and 2007 as a new police station, which opened on 22 October 2007.
In 2009, most of the prison, including the walls, the stairs and the courtyard, has been classified monument historique
.
Arrondissements of Lyon
The nine arrondissements of Lyon are the administrative divisions of the City of Lyon. Unlike the spiral pattern of the arrondissements of Paris, or the meandering pattern of those in Marseille, the layout in Lyon is more idiosyncratic...
of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Built between 1831 and 1835 for use as a military prison, after the invasion
Case Anton
Operation Anton was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942.- Background :...
of the unoccupied zone
Zone libre
The zone libre was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during the Second World War, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on June 22, 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered by the French government of Marshal Philippe Pétain based in Vichy,...
of Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
in November 1942, the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
used it as a prison, interrogation centre and internment camp for those waiting for transfer to concentration camps
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
. It is estimated that over 15,000 people were imprisoned in Montluc, and over 900 of them were executed within it.
Montluc was liberated on 24 August 1944 by FFI
French Forces of the Interior
The French Forces of the Interior refers to French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as France's status changed from that of an occupied nation...
troops, when resistance leader Colonel Köenig, profiting from the chaos reigning in Lyon at the time, entered the Fort in a stolen German Army car disguised as a Gestapo officer and persuaded the Commandant to free the prisoners, saying that the order had come from the Gestapo Commander in Lyon, Klaus Barbie
Klaus Barbie
Nikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
.
In 1947, Montluc became a civil prison once again, finally closing in 1997, though the female maison d'arrêt
Maison d'arrêt
Maison d'arrêt are a category of prisons in France which hold prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing, or those being held for less than one year, similar to County Jails in the United States....
was not closed until May 2009. The property of the Ministry of Interior
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
from 1969, the site, which was in poor condition, was completely rebuilt between 2005 and 2007 as a new police station, which opened on 22 October 2007.
In 2009, most of the prison, including the walls, the stairs and the courtyard, has been classified monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
.
Notable prisoners
- Raymond AubracRaymond AubracRaymond Aubrac is a French engineer, and was a member of the French Resistance.Born Raymond Samuel in Vesoul, Haute-Saône in a Jewish family, Aubrac and wife, Lucie in 1940 were in the Resistance in Lyon and took pseudonym Aubrac to escape the persecution of the occupation...
- Anthony BrooksAnthony BrooksMajor Anthony Morris "Tony" Brooks was a British undercover agent in World War II. He received the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Croix de Guerre, and Legion d'Honneur for his work as a leader of a group sabotaging German reinforcements prior to and during the Normandy invasion...
- Marc BlochMarc BlochMarc Léopold Benjamin Bloch was a French historian who cofounded the highly influential Annales School of French social history. Bloch was a quintessential modernist. An assimilated Alsatian Jew from an academic family in Paris, he was deeply affected in his youth by the Dreyfus Affair...
- Habib BourguibaHabib BourguibaHabib Bourguiba was a Tunisian statesman, the Founder and the first President of the Republic of Tunisia from July 25, 1957 until 7 November 1987...
- André Devigny
- Salomon GluckSalomon GluckSalomon Gluck, , was a French physician and a member of the French Resistance.-His ancestors:...
- Jean MoulinJean MoulinJean Moulin was a high-profile member of the French Resistance during World War II. He is remembered today as an emblem of the Resistance primarily due to his role in unifying the French resistance under de Gaulle and his courage and death at the hands of the Germans.-Before the war:Moulin was...
- Élise RivetÉlise RivetÉlise Rivet was a Roman Catholic nun and World War II heroine....