On the heights of Suresnes, a former open-air school sits just a hundred meters from the Mont-Valérien, a hill in the Paris suburb where a WWII Resistance memorial stands. The school opened in 1935 had been designed to accommodate children considered "fragile." The premises are now partly used by France's National Institute for Training and Research in Inclusive Education (INSEI). After passing the entrance, a vast area of nearly 7,000 square meters unfolds. A tree-filled park gives way to 10 white pavilions, almost entirely covered with sliding glass walls to let in light and air. Behind them, the main L-shaped building is also bathed in sunlight through its large windows.

"It's a large, open, connected and bright space," said Henry Rousso, historian and president of the committee for the Memorial and Museum of Terrorism. "That matches the wishes of the victims and their families: to have a place turned toward life, not something that would look like a grand tomb." For all these reasons, Paris region authorities chose this site to house the museum and memorial. At the south entrance, a faded blue sign displays the building permit issued on September 21, 2023. Yet, nothing has begun. Everything is at a standstill.

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