Programme for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Brive
Publié le 18 April 2025 par su_laetis
During the Second World War, Brive-la-Gaillarde, occupied by German troops in 1940, became a centre of active resistance. On 15 August 1944, Allied troops landed in Provence as part of an operation that created a crucial diversion. Three young heroes from the surrounding maquis decided to take the lead and liberate Brive from German occupation. Their courage and determination made Brive the first town in France to be liberated. This day remains a symbol of the Resistance as the first town liberated in France. The liberation of Brive on 15 August 1944 marked the end of four years of Nazi occupation, a moment of relief and jubilation for its inhabitants, honouring the courage of the heroes of the Resistance and the Allied soldiers.
80 years on, a programme of events is planned until mid-October to remember this page in the history of Brive-La-Gaillarde, which deserves its name!
Events calendar
May 2024
- From January to 15 August: distribution on social networks by the Edmond Michelet Museum of the diary kept by Jean GOUTINES during the Occupation until the liberation of Brive on 15 August 1944.
- From 21 May to 12 February 2025 at the Musée Edmond Michelet: the exhibition "Anna GARCIN-MAYADE: l'Art contre l'oubli" (Anna GARCIN-MAYADE: Art against oblivion) and a room devoted to the liberation of Corrèze and Brive.
- 27 May: "National Resistance Day" ceremony at Place du 15 août 1944 and inauguration of Rue des Soeurs Granet and Rue des Frères Valéry.
June 2024
- Monday 17 June at 6pm: "Edmond Michelet's Appeal of 17 June 1940" in the gardens of the Michelet Museum. On 17 June 1940, Edmond Michelet distributed a leaflet in Brive's letterboxes that quoted a text by Péguy: "He who does not surrender is right against he who surrenders". This was one of the first calls to the Resistance on French soil.
- Tuesday 18 June to Saturday 22 September: Exhibition of liberation propaganda posters from the collections of the Michelet museum around the collegiate church of Saint-Martin.
- Tuesday 18 June: The Edmond Michelet Museum launches 2 applications for the memorial trail around the monuments and headstones in the town:
- 1 application: Interactive retelling of the memory trail created by the museum and veterans' associations,
- 1 application: Installation of a touch terminal in the permanent tour of the Edmond Michelet Museum. The application will evoke the Resistance in Brive through maps, archive documents and the diary of a member of the Resistance. - Tuesday 18 June, rue de Corrèze plaque: "General LALANDE" ceremony organised by the Souvenir Français, Brive Committee and the SMLH.
- Tuesday 18 June at 6.30pm, at the stele in the Place du 15 août 1944: "General de Gaulle's historic appeal" ceremony.
- Tuesday 18 June at 7.10pm at the Rex cinema: Screening of a short film, "Ceux du rail" by René Clément, followed by a lecture on "Général de Gaulle" by Jean-Luc BARRÉ, published by Plan.
- Friday 21 June, 10pm, Place de la collégiale: Fête de la musique concert by "Les Satin DollSisters".
- Saturday 22 June: Arrival in Brive of the Flame of the Unknown Soldier. Organised by Souvenir Français and the Brive Committee.
- Saturday 29 June, 3.30pm, Musée Labenche conference room: Lecture on "The liberation of Brive: a time of new possibilities" by François David.
July 2024
From 10 to 23 July, cinema week at the Rex cinema: "La Libération, la Résistance vues par le cinéma". On the programme: Ernst Lubitsch's "Be or not to be", François Truffaut's "Le dernier métro", Patrick Seraudie's "Le silence et la douleur", Emmanuel Finkiel's "La Douleur" and Volker Schlöndorff's "Diplomatie" (regular rates).
Friday 26 Julyat 10pm, in the Jardins de la Guierle: Open-air screening of the film " L'Armée des Ombres " by the Rex cinema.
August 2024
Tuesday 13th August at 6.30pm in the conference room of the Musée Labenche: Lecture "La libération de Brive par ses propres moyens" (The liberation of Brive by its own means) by François DAVID, President of the SMLH and the Brive Committee.
Ceremony organised by the Brothers on the Saint-Antoine site.
Thursday 15 August to Saturday 17 August, Guierle gardens: re-enactment of an allied military camp and exhibition of vehicles and equipment by the "Passeurs de Mémoire" association.
Thursday 15 August 2024 from 8am to 1pm at the usual sites: "80th anniversary of the liberation of Brive by the Resistance" ceremonies:
o 8am: Docteur François Labrousse stele, Lycée d'Arsonval
o 8.15am: Guédin Vaujour stele, Espace des Trois Provinces
o 8.45am: Plaque on the Esplanade des Frères Malraux
- o 9am: Stele at the SNCF station, station concourse
o 9.15am: Stele in the Square des Justes, boulevard Docteur Marbeau
o 9.30am: Edmond Michelet stele, place de la Liberté
o 9.45am: Farro plaque, rue Lieutenant-colonel Farro
o 10am: Religious service, Collégiale Saint Martin
o 10.30am: Cariven stele, pont Cardinal
o 11:20am: Stele, Place du 15 août 1944
Thursday 15 August at 6pm: lecture by historian François Davidon the surrender treaty and the circumstances surrounding its signing . In the gardens of the Michelet Museum.
Thursday 15 August 2024, from 10.30pm: "Liberation theme" fireworks display (Parc de la Corrèze, behind the Espace des Trois Provinces).
Friday 16 August 2024, from 9.30pm: Sound and light show by the "Terres de Légendes" company, in front of the Théâtre Municipal, esplanade Bernard Murat and place du 14 juillet. Experience the atmosphere of the 1940s in this historic night-time fireworks show featuring some thirty actors. Free, subject to availability.
Saturday evening 17 August:
-10am: concert by the group "Taboo Coverland" at the Bandstand in the Jardins de la Guierle
- 8pm: popular ball with meal in Place Charles de Gaulle, organised in collaboration with Brive's trade office. Don't hesitate to bring out your best vintage looks for the occasion!
- Meal without reservation and limited to 300 people: Toulouse sausage, fried potatoes and apple flognarde.
- Price: €12
- Meal from 7pm
- Refreshment stand and cash desk open at 6pm
- Ball with Nadine Andrieux Orchestra at 8pm.
September 2024
Saturday 21st September:
- at 2pm at the Musée Labenche: "Brive at the end of the war (1944-1945)" by Marguerite Guély, President of the Scientific, Historical and Archaeological Society of Corrèze- Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September at the Jardins du Musée Michelet: Stories from the town of Brive during the 39-45 war. Performed by the Théâtre de la Grange using documents collected in Brive's archives and the Musée Michelet.
Sunday 22 September, Musée Labenche: Lecture "Rose Valland, l'espionne à l'œuvre" by Jennifer Lesieur. At 2pm.
- Wednesday 25 September, at the Hôtellerie du sanctuaire des grottes de Saint-Antoine: "Le combat d'hommes de paix : Saint-Antoine 1940 - 1944" by François David, historian. At 8.15pm.
October 2024
- Thursday 3 October : "Georges Michel" lecture by Bruno FOUCAUD
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