Camp de Voves

Camp de Voves is a former French internment site in Les Villages Vovéens spread across multiple hectares of ground. The layout consists of two separate areas with prisoner housing and administrative buildings positioned along a local road.

The site functioned as a detention center under the Vichy regime from 1942 to 1944, holding political prisoners throughout this period. It became one of several such facilities established during the occupation and Vichy years.

Detainees created a library and held discussion groups to maintain intellectual life behind the fences. These informal gatherings became important spaces where people preserved their dignity and sense of purpose.

The site features a memorial obelisk built in the 1970s, an arboretum, and a museum with objects from the period. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since exploring the grounds requires walking and parts are open to the weather.

A group of prisoners dug a tunnel beneath the perimeter fence and escaped with help from other detainees inside. This breakout remains one of the least known episodes but demonstrates the resourcefulness people showed while held there.

Location: Les Villages Vovéens

Official opening: October 1, 1939

GPS coordinates: 48.26422,1.62710

Latest update: December 8, 2025 21:05