The Terrorism Memorial Museum in Suresnes will not open after all

The Terrorism Memorial Museum will not open in Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine) but at another site in Île-de-France which will be unveiled by the end of September, the institution announced on Monday, September 8.

The decision follows a meeting at the Élysée Palace last Tuesday between advisers to President Emmanuel Macron and officials from the public interest group in charge of the project.

"The Suresnes site was abandoned because it was too expensive," said historian Henry Rousso , president of the museum's preparatory mission. The Élysée Palace did not respond to a request for comment.

The museum was originally planned to be built on the site of a former open-air school located on the hill of Mont Valérien, about ten kilometers west of Paris, and classified as a historic monument. But "the restoration of the historic building absorbed nearly 90% to 95% of the construction budget," said Henry Rousso.

The Élysée Palace has proposed "three to four" locations under the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the Paris region instead of the Suresnes site, including one within Paris itself, added Henry Rousso, without revealing their identity.

The choice of the new site, less expensive than that of Suresnes because it requires less work, should be announced at the end of September, a few days before the tenth anniversary of the attacks of November 13, 2015.

Announced in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron, the project has experienced multiple vicissitudes, notably due to a tense budgetary context.

Originally planned for 2027, the future Memorial Museum "aims to pay tribute to the victims of terrorism in France and around the world," according to the website. Funded by four ministries (justice, culture, interior and armed forces), it also aims to present the history of terrorism on an international level.

In November 2024, Michel Barnier's government abandoned the project for economic reasons, sparking anger among several victims' associations. Emmanuel Macron finally reaffirmed his commitment to carrying it out in January.