Images of Gurs Internment Camp
Gurs Internment Camp and its collection
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The Gurs Internment Camp, located a short distance from the border with Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees, was one of the main internment camps in France during World War II. The camp has a complex history as it served different purposes at different times between 1939 and 1945. During the German occupation of France, it operated as one of the main transit camps for thousands of Jews who were then transferred to the Drancy internment camp to be finally deported to the extermination camps in Poland.
Structure of Gurs Internment Camp
Constructed in 1939, the Gurs Internment Camp maintained its structure until its dismantling in 1946. The camp measured approximately 1,400 meters in length and 200 meters in width, covering an area of 28 hectares. A single road ran through it lengthwise. On both sides of the road, there were sectors of 200 meters by 100 meters, called lots, separated from each other by barbed wire. There were seven lots on one side and six on the other. Each lot contained about 30 barracks, all identical in structure and size.
Monuments and Exhibition at Gurs Internment Camp
A barrack has been reconstructed identical to those once in use at the Gurs Internment Camp, and several monuments have been erected in memory of the internees and victims. Since 2004, a permanent exhibition has been opened in a modern building that now welcomes numerous visitors. The exhibition provides a detailed insight into the history of the camp and the experiences of those who were interned there.
FRCamp de Gurs
ENThe Gurs Internment Camp
FR"Le Camp de Gurs
History & Anthropology