NÉCROPOLE NATIONALE DE LA DOUA

La Doua, a place of memory and remembrance, bears witness to the dark hours of the Nazi occupation of France during the Second World War. Between August 1943 and July 1944, at least 79 Resistance fighters interned in Lyon's Montluc prison were executed by German occupying troops at the La Doua shooting range in Villeurbanne. These men had fought bravely against the Nazi oppressors, but paid with their lives for their commitment to the freedom of France.

After the Liberation, the butte des fusillés at La Doua became a place of commemoration where families and comrades came to gather and honor the memory of the martyrs of the Resistance. In 1954, in a solemn gesture, La Doua was officially transformed into a national necropolis, a cemetery of honor housing the remains of those who sacrificed their lives for France.

Today, the La Doua necropolis is home to some 6,500 graves, all marked with the words "Mort pour la France" ("Died for France"). This recognition, instituted in 1915, was originally intended to honor any French citizen whose death was attributed to an act of war. Over time, it was extended to include a wider range of war-related death circumstances, and became a symbol of sacrifice and devotion to country. The Second World War was a crucial moment in the history of this recognition. Resistance fighters and freedom fighters were particularly honored, their graves becoming memorial sites where the nation pays tribute to their courage and determination in the face of oppression. La Doua, a memorial to World War II resistance fighters, also embodies the diversity of victims of armed conflict. Whether they were shot by occupying troops, killed in action or summarily executed, they all rest in this sacred place, a symbol of their sacrifice for freedom and justice.

The relationship between La Doua and the Montluc prison, from which many of those shot were taken, is close and steeped in history. These two memorial sites are managed by the Office national des combattants et des victimes de guerre, which ensures that the memory of those who gave their lives for France is preserved and honored. Initiatives such as guided tours are organized to raise public awareness of the importance of collective remembrance and the sacrifices made for freedom.