It is located in Paris, France, on the site of a former morgue, underground behind Notre Dame on Île de la Cité.

Designed by French architect, writer, teacher, and town planner Georges-Henri Pingusson (1894–1978), the memorial was inaugurated by then-President[3] Charles de Gaulle on April 12, 1962.

[1][2] In the year of its opening, a brochure produced by the French survivors' group "Reseau de souvenir" described the memorial as a crypt, "hollowed out of the sacred isle, the cradle of our nation, which incarnates the soul of France – a place where its spirit dwells.

Opposite the entrance is a stark iron gate overlooking the Seine at the tip of the Île de la Cité.

[2] The Guardian published a description by one of its readers, who noted the memorial's obscurity and called it "small, stark and savagely detailed... which goes unnoticed by the thousands of tourists who take selfies of themselves in front of the adjoining cathedral every day.

By simply creating a somber WWII related installation the memorial contributes more to forgetting that specific episode of history rather than to preserving it for future generations.