Sites mémorial du camp des Milles

The camp opened in September 1939 in a tilery between Aix-en-Provence abd Marseille, was exploited as a camp during 3 years and had more than 10 000 prisoners from 38 different countries, of whom many were artists and intellectuals.

The history of the camp can be divided in three major periods corresponding to the different kind of prisoners it hosted: internees from the Reich and soldiers, foreigners who wanted to emigrate and Jews who were arrested after several round-ups. This evolution of different prisoners culminated in the deportation of 2000 children, women and men from the Milles camp to the Drancy and Rivesaltes camps to finally Auschwitz in August and September 1942.

First period: The Third Republic September 1939 - June 1940 Internment camp for "enemy subjects"

Second period: The Vichy regime July 1940-July 1942 Transit and internment camp for "undesirables"

Final period: Vichy - "The final solution" August 1942 - September 1942 Jews deported to Auschwitz via Drancy • 10,000 people of 38 nationalities interned here • Over 2,000 Jews deported to Auschwitz

The "camp of artists" One distinguishing feature of the Camp des Milles is the number and diversity of artworks produced by the interned. More than 400 pieces were created here, some of which are on display at the camp today. This proliferation of art can be explained by the many artists and intellectuals (Max Ernst, Hans Bellmer, Lion Feuchtwanger and others) who channeled their creativity to resist the persecution and dehumanisation to which the interned were subjected.

The Centre de Ressources holds some 5000 documents which relate to the four activities the memorial site promotes: the Foundation, historical, memorial, educational and cultural activities related to the camp du Milles and the genocides of the 20th century.

It also holds books - prose fiction, essays, albums, comic books -, videos, fiction movies or documentaries and archival documents: witness accounts transcribed, videoed or recorded, personal and administrative archives, original or reproduction of works from different emprisoned and/or deported artists and writers, for the most part foreigners like Max Ernst, Hans Bellmer, Lion Feuchtwanger...