In the Footsteps of the Resistance Fighters
Follow in the footsteps of the Resistance Fighters, step by step, and let yourself be transported on this specially designed itinerary to explore the terrain and discover the life and tragic events of the largest Resistance fighter in France in 1944. Magnificent landscapes to be discovered by the power of your calves, a 4-day journey in the footsteps of the Resistance Fighters.
Between Heroism and Tragedy
The inhabitants of the Vercors will tell you that the Vercors is not just an exceptional setting; it is also a territory where the spirit of resistance has been infused. There is not a single town, forest, clearing, or mountain that has not been the scene of battles or acts of resistance. Today, many of these memorial sites stand as sites where men and women fell, where resistance groups lived in hiding, where parachute drops took place... From June 13 to mid-August 1944, the Vercors suffered violent attacks and was the scene of unspeakable atrocities, a stark contrast to the euphoria that followed the restoration of the Republic in early July. By electric bike or car, discover and explore these places subject to breathless time, suffocating between the excitement of a coming liberation and the massacres that remind us that the war is not over.
The Resistance Organizes
Crossing the Trièves is like immersing yourself in the history of the Second World War on a local scale, whether by train, road, or trail. This small corner of France is dominated to the west by the eastern cliff of the Vercors, difficult to cross via the series of passes (passes). The area was identified by the German occupiers as dangerous, according to their jargon. Mont Aiguille, a marvel of the Dauphiné, casts a benevolent eye over the resistance fighters established at its foot and the inhabitants of the villages and hamlets who were complicit in a multifaceted resistance. From the rescue of Jewish families at the first resistance camps to the fighting in the footsteps of the Vercors, the route is punctuated by markers of history and memory. You cannot walk without encountering a cross, a stele, a monument, or a plaque commemorating these sacrifices. A bike ride across, a train ride back, two days of discovery in breathtaking landscapes.
A booklet to better understand historical events
This new booklet describes the main memorial sites and a network of memorial walks between the sites, allowing you to follow in the footsteps of the resistance fighters and local resistance fighters.
