History of the Museum
Association “Souvenirs et Respect des Combats pour la Liberté – Poche de Colmar – Hiver 44/45“
In 1988, the “Souvenirs et Respect des Combats pour la Liberté – Poche de Colmar – Hiver 44/45” non-profit association was founded by Gérard Terni and Christian Burgert, to pursue the unique project to set up a Memorial Museum aiming to honour all the veterans and victims, be they civilians or soldiers, who wrote the painful history of our region during the terrible
winter of 1944/45.
With the help of some history buffs and the support of the municipal team and the mayor M. Jean-Pierre FUCHS , the work and total dedication of the two founders permitted the inauguration of the museum on November 11th 1993. The governor of the district attended the ceremony with numerous civilian and military authorities in Turckheim (Haut-Rhin district).
The “Memorial Museum of the Colmar Pocket combats – Winter 44/45“
Ever since that day, the museum has relentlessly endeavoured to keep alive a historical heritage dedicated to all those who, through their courage and patriotism, have allowed us to remain free.
The work of the volunteers and successive chairmen helped the memorial museum become famous not only within France, but also beyond our borders, all through Europe, in the USA and maybe one day in the whole world.
The extension that had been scheduled for a long time by the two founders could only be achieved and inaugurated on February the 24th 2001. The memorial museum is now at a project stage of an extension,Today the memorial museum consists in two showrooms covering an area of roughly 250 m².
Situé au coeur d’une cité médiévale dans un magnifique caveau du XVIIIe siècle, ayant servi d’abri aux habitants de Turckheim au cours de la 2 ème Guerre Mondiale, il est un musée du souvenir.
The “Memorial Museum of the Colmar Pocket combats – Winter 44/45” is located in a pretty 18th century vault (wich sheltered inhabitants during WW II) in Turckheim, a medieval town. It showcases vivid testimonies of the events which took place near Colmar over a period of two long, gruelling months through the actors of this fight and the equipments of the period. It is a museum of remembrance.
This historical perspective makes it unique in Alsace.
The memorial museum has got today a wonderful collection of diverse and sometimes heterogeneous artefacts.
They are displayed to the visitors in thematic glass cases or on dummies. The museum knows the origins, the owners and the history of almost all the objects on display.
The life of the combat soldier is pictured through many realistic, highly detailed reconstructions. Many period pictures and a film but also videos complete the exhibition which details every phase of the battle and focuses on the fate of the population.
One goal of the memorial museum is to transmit a piece of history to young generations, the heritage of one of our most beautiful French regions.