Article II of the Armistice of 22 June 1940 defines the demarcation line: To safeguard the interests of the German Reich, French State territory north and west of the line drawn on the attached map will be occupied by German troops.

Article 3, however, stated: "The German Government intends to reduce to a minimum the occupation of the West Coast after the cessation of hostilities with England."

Covering nearly 1,200 kilometres (750 mi), the demarcation line crossed thirteen departments: Basses-Pyrénées (Pyrénées-Atlantiques since 1969), Landes, Gironde, Dordogne, Charente, Vienne, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Cher, Allier, Saône-et-Loire, Jura, and Ain.

While not formally part of occupied Europe, the Free Zone was heavily reliant on Germany.

The Vichy Regime did not offer permanent free-movement cards: only Pierre Laval and Fernand de Brinon had this privilege.

[9][10] Italy, taking advantage of this invasion, decided to occupy the area it wanted,[8][9] which led to the extension of the Italian occupation zone.

This led in turn to the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon and the dissolution of the Vichy Army on 27 November 1942.

The permanent exhibition centre is housed in a building whose architecture symbolizes the fracture formed by this inner border.

"The armistice treaty provided for the demilitarization of a strip of 50 km from the border and the possibility of interference and Italian control as far as the Rhone.