The Rails of Memory

At the heart of Lyon, just steps away from Perrache station, where the deportation convoys once began their grim departure, now stands a monument that speaks to both the soul and history. The Rails of Memoy, a powerful and moving architectural work, is much more than a simple memorial. It is a bridge between the past and the future, and a place where the memory of the victims of the Shoah is materialized, ensuring it will never fade away.

Conceived by architects Quentin Blaising and Alicia Borchardt, this project is the result of two decades of struggle and perseverance, spearheaded by the Association pour l’édification d’un Mémorial de la Shoah à Lyon, which counted former deportees and Auschwitz survivors among its active and honorary members. In 2023, an international competition gave birth to this work, selected from 96 proposals from 25 countries. The result is a monument of striking power, where 1,173 meters of interwoven steel rails tell a tragic story: that of the 1,173 kilometers that separate Lyon from the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.

Every detail of the Rails of Memory is designed to evoke the unspeakable. The materials used – rails, wooden sleepers, and ballast – are those of the railroads, symbolizing the horror of deportation with raw force. These elements, both real and symbolic, create a tangible connection with past events, inviting visitors to feel, touch, and remember. Yet this memorial does more than pay tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Shoah, 6,100 of whom were deported from the Rhône-Alpes region. It is also intended as an educational tool for future generations. Benches equipped with QR codes provide visitors with immediate access to information about the association and the purpose of this place.

In this way, the installation does more than recall the past, it embodies a promise – the promise to never forget. It becomes an essential landmark of collective memory, a place where history comes alive, and a place where the silence of the rails speaks louder than words.