Esplanade des Villes-Compagnons-de-la-Libération

The Esplanade des Villes-Compagnons-de-la-Libération serves as a monument to five specific French locations that stood against occupation during the Second World War. You are standing on a site dedicated to Paris, Nantes, Grenoble, Vassieux-en-Vercors, and the island of Sein. These five places hold the official title of Companion of the Liberation, a rare distinction awarded by General Charles de Gaulle to recognize their exceptional contributions to the resistance effort. Each of these cities and towns played a pivotal role in the struggle for freedom. While Paris provided the capital's central leadership and resistance networks, other locations faced different realities, such as the strategic intelligence gathering in Nantes or the tragic destruction of the village of Vassieux-en-Vercors. By grouping these five names together on this esplanade, the city honors a collective spirit of defiance that spanned from the coast of Brittany to the mountains of the Vercors. Since nineteen eighty-one, these five communities have been linked by a formal pact of friendship. This bond was established to ensure that the memory of the resistance remains active and that the values fought for during those years continue to be recognized. By walking this path, you are crossing a space specifically designed to keep the history of those resistance efforts visible within the modern city landscape.