Musée de la Mémoire

About the museum

The Musée de la Mémoire is a cultural and commemorative space of the town of Portet-sur-Garonne. It was inaugurated on February 6, 2003, in the presence of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. It occupies one of the last period buildings of the Récébédou camp.

The camp was originally a workers' settlement. From 1940 it served as accommodation for Republican Spanish refugees and foreign Jews, then became a camp hospital under the Vichy regime. Living conditions quickly deteriorated. In August 1942, three convoys left the Portet-Saint-Simon station for Drancy and Auschwitz, and the camp closed in autumn 1942.

At the Liberation, Spanish Republicans who had survived Mauthausen settled in a few huts, which formed the “Villa Don Quichotte.” The museum presents this history in a permanent exhibition, with a model of the camp, and also hosts temporary exhibitions. On site, visitors can consult books on internment camps. A memorial to the Retirada was inaugurated in front of the museum in 2019.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition on the history of the Récébédou camp
• Model of the camp at the heart of the route
• History of the Villa Don Quichotte, set up by Spanish Republicans
• Retirada memorial on the forecourt
• Books on internment camps available to consult on site

Permanent exhibition

• Exposition permanente sur le camp du Récébédou – History of the Récébédou camp and the Villa Don Quichotte, with a model of the camp.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Ville de Portet-sur-Garonne

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The museum has held the “Tourisme & Handicap” label for all four types of disability since 2021. The building is wheelchair-accessible (ramp, adapted restrooms, reception counters and reading tables at a good height); people with reduced mobility enter through the side entrance on the Maison des Associations side. Reserved parking nearby (Allée du Grand Chêne and Rue du Château d'Eau). Guide strip from the reserved parking space, handrail at the entrance, booklets in Braille and large print, magnifying glass to borrow. Induction loop at reception. Easy-to-read and easy-to-understand (FALC) booklet.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

From the Toulouse ring road: exit 37 “Francazal,” then towards Portet-sur-Garonne, or exit 38 “Le Chapitre,” then the Route d'Espagne. Portet-Saint-Simon station is about 2.7 km away according to Tourisme Occitanie.

Amenities & dining

Reference library on site.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit