Musée Mémoire 39-45 de Calais

Children at the 39-45 Memory Museum in Calais

Room of the Memory Museum 39-45 in Calais

The 1939-1945 Memorial Museum in Calais, located in a long German bunker, retraces the Second World War through 23 rooms. Period objects, photos, uniforms and weapons illustrate the war, from the German invasion to the Liberation in 1944.

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Musée Mémoire 39-45 de Calais
Parc Saint-Pierre - 62100 CALAIS

See the itinerary

telephone +33 3 21 34 21 57

Website musee-3945.com

Openings

From 1 May 2026 to 30 September 2026From October 1, 2026 to November 11, 2026

Monday	10 AM - 00PM
Tuesday	10 AM - 00PM
Wednesday	10 AM - 00PM
Thursday	10 AM - 00PM
Friday	10 AM - 00PM
Saturday	10 AM - 00PM
Sunday	10 AM - 00PM

Monday	11 AM - 00PM
Wednesday	11 AM - 00PM
Thursday	11 AM - 00PM
Friday	11 AM - 00PM
Saturday	11 AM - 00PM

Diverse collections

These old rooms are transformed into 23 exhibition rooms. The tour is chronological while addressing many themes. Facing England, Calais and its port were highly strategic during the Second World War. Significant episodes therefore took place there and the Occupation was a daily pressure for the people of Calais. Photos, posters, press cuttings, period objects bear witness to this dark period. As for the weapons, uniforms, period military equipment, they illustrate a turbulent conflict in Calais.

Visit the Memory Museum

Commander Roger Mengin on the left Collection Museum Memoire 1939 1945 — Commander Mengin

Focus

What's new in 2026?

Reopened on February 1, 2026, after a period of renovations, the 1939-1945 Memorial Museum has redesigned its entrance. Upon entering, visitors now discover a reconstruction of a telephone exchange from the Kriegsmarine, which operated here during the Occupation. Four renovated rooms, new display cases, and framing of previously unseen documents make the visit much easier to understand. From April 6, 2026, a new temporary exhibition on the theme of civilian life in wartime Calais will also be featured. Through objects, stories, and reconstructions, visitors can immerse themselves in the daily lives of residents in an environment marked by the conflict.

View of the entrance to the Mémoire museum and the length of the bunker in the green setting of Richelieu Park.

1940: 85 years ago, Operation Dynamo and the Battle of Britain

From the beginning of the German invasion, Calais found itself at the heart of the fighting, and played an important role for what followed. From May 22 to 26, the French and English were entrenched in the Citadel of Calais and slow down the Germans. Meanwhile, on the beaches of Dunkirk, Operation Dynamo has begun and British and French soldiers have started to embark for England! A few weeks later, it is the Battle of Britain. German aircraft are omnipresent on the Opal Coast and multiply raids on England throughout the summer. A room of the Calais Memorial Museum 1939-1945 is dedicated to the first major air battle in history. It shows in particular two emblematic fighter plane engines, the Spitfire and the Messerschmitt 1, both shot down in the sky of Calais.