- 12 Rue Sainte-Catherine, 69001 Lyon, France
- What you see
- What you need to know
First of all, you can admire the remarkable door and its rococo-style monogrammed impost (remember that the initials on the imposts are those of the building's owner).
Number 12 rue Sainte-Catherine is one of the most moving places in the history of the Lyon Resistance. plate What you see is the testimony of a tragedy orchestrated by the Gestapo.
The Lyon roundup took place on February 9, 1943, under the direct orders of the Gestapo. This assault, meticulously planned and supervised by Klaus Barbie, was carried out at the headquarters of the Federation of Jewish Societies of France (Fédération des sociétés juives de France). Barbie orchestrated the raid to capture as many people as possible.
The date chosen by the Nazis for the operation was strategic. They deliberately targeted the day when the Federation usually provided free medical care and food to Jewish refugees. To set their trap, the Nazis arrested Federation employees, forcing them to encourage others to go to the site.
A total of 86 Jews were arrested during this roundup, 84 of whom were subsequently deported to the Drancy internment camp. Of these, 83 were sent to the Sobibor and Auschwitz extermination camps, and to a lesser extent, to Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, and Majdanek. Two of those arrested managed to escape before deportation, while one person was liberated from the Drancy camp. Only three survived the extermination camps.
- Archive images
- Klaus Barbie Trial
Among the victims were members of the French Resistance, making the Sainte-Catherine Street Roundup one of the main charges against Klaus Barbie at his trial. In 1987, Malvine Lanzet, then 14 years old and liberated from the Drancy internment camp, testified at the trial. The few remaining survivors also provided written testimonies, contributing to the historical record of this tragedy orchestrated by the Gestapo.
