Visit to Bobigny’s former deportation station (93) for the 2026 Heritage Days

Originally, it was a standard railway station. It was transformed for 13 months into a camp of horror. The former deportation station at Bobigny, a relic of World War II, is open for visits during Heritage Days on the weekend of September 19–20, 2026.

Take part in Journées du Patrimoine 2026 to enter the gare de déportation de Bobigny, on the weekend of September 19–20. Delve into the darkest chapters of France’s history by discovering this station, which sent countless victims to the Auschwitz camps.

If you were born in Bobigny, you've probably heard the chilling story of the Bobigny train station, used by the Nazis to transfer men, women and children to Auschwitz. In 13 months, from the summer of 1943 to the summer of 1944, 22,407 men, women and children of all ages were loaded into lead-lined wagons and taken to the Auschwitz extermination camp.

After the Second World War, this 3.5-hectare site belonging to the SNCF was leased to a scrap dealer, who moved out in 2005. The SNCF wanted to demolish the buildings several times, but the Fonds Mémoire d'Auschwitz (AFMA) association and Georges Valbon (mayor of Bobigny) raised the issue with the French government in 1987, and demolition was narrowly avoided.

It wasn't until 2005 that this place of remembrance was listed on the supplementary inventory of historic monuments, and recognized as one of Hauts Lieux du Souvenir de la déportation de Seine-Saint-Denis (the Muette camp at Drancy, the Bourget and Bobigny railway stations, the quai aux bestiaux, the military cemetery at Cimetière Musulman, the Fort de Romainville).

Because, despite everything, it's important to remember these dark times, the city of Bobigny is offering a guided tour of the former deportation station. Visit a historic site that bears witness to the Shoah, and discover its future landscaping and scenography, to ensure that the memory lives on through new generations.

The program for the 2026 Heritage Days at the Bobigny memorial—the former deportation railway station:

Bobigny station: a memorial site for the deportation of Jews from France
For the European Heritage Days and the Women’s and Matrimonial Heritage events, we invite you to explore the history of a site from which nearly 22,500 men, women, and children were deported between July 1943 and August 1944, mostly to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Through the deportees’ testimonies, the original railway landscape, and the site’s commemorative design, the guided route invites visitors to confront the history of Deportation while reflecting on the fight against racism, anti-Semitism, and all forms of discrimination.

You will also encounter the exhibition Charlotte Salomon. “This Is All My Life,” created by Terminale G3 students from Lycée Louise-Michel in Bobigny. Focusing on the German‑Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon, deported from Bobigny station in 1943, it offers a thoughtful look at her work Vie? or Theater? and at her life journey.
Participation conditions: The tour is free. Sign up via the Explore Paris website. - Free | Reservation required - https://exploreparis.com/fr/1909-memorial-de-la-gare-de-deportation-de-bobigny-journees-du-patrimoine.html
Timings: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00–11:30, 15:00–16:30 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00–11:30
A poetic and sonic stroll around Charlotte Salomon
As part of European Heritage Days and the celebration of women’s heritage, visitors are invited to discover an exhibition devoted to the German Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon and her major work "Life? or Theater?" experienced through a poetic and sonic stroll.

Designed as an immersive experience, the path blends readings, musical atmosphere and the discovery of the works. Excerpts from the artist’s writings mingle with passages from David Foenkinos’s novel Charlotte, as well as testimonies from deportees of convoy No. 60, in which Charlotte Salomon was deported in 1943.

This exhibition stems from an educational project conducted with a final-year class at Lycée Louise Michel in Bobigny. The students, involved in every stage of its conception, imagined an emotionally charged route that spotlights the artist’s fate, marked by exile, persecution and creation.

Through this proposal, the public is invited to discover a singular work while resonating with contemporary issues such as multiple identities, discrimination, and forms of resistance through art.
Participation conditions: Free tour. Register via the Explore Paris website. - Free | Reservation required - https://exploreparis.com/fr/9740-deambulation-poetique-et-sonore-autour-de-charlotte-salomon.html
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 17:00 to 18:00
Joint guided tour of the Drancy Shoah Memorial and the Bobigny Deportation Station Memorial
The Mémorial de la Shoah sits opposite the Cité de la Muette in Drancy, a site originally intended for social housing. Requisitioned by Nazi Germany in 1941, it became an internment camp and then the main transit camp for Jews deported from France during the war. Between 1942 and 1944, more than 63,000 Jews were detained there before deportation. From July 1943, the Bobigny train station became the principal departure point for these individuals to Auschwitz-Birkenau, from which more than 22,500 Jews were sent. Today, the two sites preserve and transmit the memory of the Shoah.

* Rendez-vous au Mémorial de la Shoah de Drancy de 10h30 à 11h45. Visite de 1h15.

* Déplacement en transport en commun vers le Mémorial de la gare de déportation de Bobigny (vous serez accompagnés).

* Visite du Mémorial de la gare de déportation de Bobigny de 12h15 à 13h30. Visite de 1h15.
Participation conditions: The visit is free. Reserve your spot on the Explore Paris website. - Free | Booking required - https://exploreparis.com/fr/7410-visite-couplee-du-memorial-de-la-shoah-de-drancy-et-le-memorial-de-l-ancienne-gare-de-deportation-de-bobigny.html
Hours: Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Intertwined destinies: Hélène Berr and Charlotte Salomon (Shoah Memorial in Drancy and Deportation Station Memorial in Bobigny)
Imprisoned at Drancy and then deported to Auschwitz from the Bobigny station, Hélène Berr and Charlotte Salomon left behind remarkable historical and artistic testimonies. This immersive journey invites readers to discover their intertwined fates through writing, art, music, and poetry.

At the Shoah Memorial in Drancy, the guided tour will feature readings from Hélène Berr’s Journal by actress Maud Landau. It will continue at the Deportation Station Memorial in Bobigny with an immersive guided walk — a poetic and sonic stroll around Charlotte Salomon’s work, "Life? or Theater?"

Meet at the Drancy Shoah Memorial from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes.

Travel by public transport to the Deportation Station Memorial in Bobigny (you will be accompanied). Tour of the Bobigny Deportation Memorial from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tour duration: 1 hour 15 minutes.
Participation requirements: The tour is free. Register via the Explore Paris website. - Free | Reservation required - https://exploreparis.com/fr/4860-destins-croises-helene-berr-et-charlotte-salomon.html
Hours: Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Come and discover this historic site!