Deportation Martyrs Memorial

If you’re also looking for free sites to visit in Paris, you should definitely pay a visit to the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation. The memorial is located on the east end of Île de la Cité and is free for all visitors. It is located directly behind the park of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Square Jean XXIII, and across the street, Quai de l'Archevéché. It was opened in 1962 and honors the 160,000 people who were deported from France to the concentration camps between 1940-1945, 85,000 of whom were political activists, resistance fighters, homosexuals and gypsies.

76,000 of them were Jews, including 11,000 children. Only 2,500 of those deported survived. The black triangles embedded in the walls and inscribed with the names of the death camps contain soil and the ashes of the victims from those camps.

The Hall of Remembrance is lined with 160,000 pebbles. It represents the Jewish tradition of placing a stone on the grave of a loved one.