Immerse yourself in a moving true story, at the heart of the Frontier Wall. An immersive visit combining memory, emotion and transmission, in the footsteps of those who risked their lives for freedom.
PMF74: a journey to the heart of heroic history during the Second World War.
The PMF74 memorial trail, nestled in Ville-la-Grand (Haute-Savoie) within the Saint-François (Juvénat) school, pays tribute to the courageous actions of four missionaries during the Second World War. Fathers Frontin, Louis Favre and Gilbert Pernoud, along with Brother Raymond Boccard, risked their lives to orchestrate the clandestine passage of almost 2,000 refugees (Jews, Resistance fighters and STO draft dodgers) to Switzerland, offering hope in dark times.
The tour features 16 panels divided into four thematic areas, combining historical maps, chronological friezes, biographies, comic strips and visual narratives. It immerses a wide audience in this moving page of shared memory, raising awareness of the values of courage and solidarity.
Guided tours are offered on a regular basis, led by the school's students. This approach encourages the intergenerational and educational transmission of remembrance, enabling young people to appropriate this history and share it with future generations.
The trail and its architecture :
16 educational panels divided into four thematic areas that structure the visitor's experience.
- The Juniorate and Frère Boccard: presentation of the establishment and the gardener's role as a lookout to signal passages.
- Mapping the routes: maps, chronological friezes and data illustrating the exodus and the reception networks in Haute-Savoie and Switzerland.
- Tribute to Father Louis Favre: portrait of the tragically martyred resistance fighter, a figure of sacrifice for freedom
- Swiss reception & cross-border memory: highlighting Swiss reception policy and historiographical memory across the border.
Why is this place unique?
- Embodied memory: by transforming a place of hiding into an educational site, the trail embodies the transmission of lived memory.
- Young mediators: secondary school students become actors in the duty to remember.
- Cross-border approach: a site that is both French and Swiss, it bears witness to the solidarity and welcoming ways of people during the war.
- Rich visual mediation: inventive pedagogy combining visuals, storytelling and participation.
- Collective commitment: an initiative born and supported by the educational community, historians and local councillors to preserve this heritage.
The PMF74 memorial trail, nestled in Ville-la-Grand (Haute-Savoie) within the Saint-François (Juvénat) school, pays tribute to the courageous actions of four missionaries during the Second World War. Fathers Frontin, Louis Favre and Gilbert Pernoud, along with Brother Raymond Boccard, risked their lives to orchestrate the clandestine passage of almost 2,000 refugees (Jews, Resistance fighters and STO draft dodgers) to Switzerland, offering hope in dark times.
The tour features 16 panels divided into four thematic areas, combining historical maps, chronological friezes, biographies, comic strips and visual narratives. It immerses a wide audience in this moving page of shared memory, raising awareness of the values of courage and solidarity.
Guided tours are offered on a regular basis, led by the school's students. This approach encourages the intergenerational and educational transmission of remembrance, enabling young people to appropriate this history and share it with future generations.
The trail and its architecture :
16 educational panels divided into four thematic areas that structure the visitor's experience.
- The Juniorate and Frère Boccard: presentation of the establishment and the gardener's role as a lookout to signal passages.
- Mapping the routes: maps, chronological friezes and data illustrating the exodus and the reception networks in Haute-Savoie and Switzerland.
- Tribute to Father Louis Favre: portrait of the tragically martyred resistance fighter, a figure of sacrifice for freedom
- Swiss reception & cross-border memory: highlighting Swiss reception policy and historiographical memory across the border.
Why is this place unique?
- Embodied memory: by transforming a place of hiding into an educational site, the trail embodies the transmission of lived memory.
- Young mediators: secondary school students become actors in the duty to remember.
- Cross-border approach: a site that is both French and Swiss, it bears witness to the solidarity and welcoming ways of people during the war.
- Rich visual mediation: inventive pedagogy combining visuals, storytelling and participation.
- Collective commitment: an initiative born and supported by the educational community, historians and local councillors to preserve this heritage.
Accessibility
Accessible for wheelchairs with assistance
Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs
Doors >=77 cm wide
Easy French documentation
Rates
Free of charge.
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Openings
From 6 September 2026 until 27 June 2027
From 6 September 2026 until 27 June 2027
Tuesday
08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
10:00 - 16:00
Saturday
10:00 - 17:00
Location
Spoken languages
Spoken languages
Environment
Environment
- In centre of town
- Near shuttle stop
- Town location
- Station district
- Close to a public transportation
- Village centre
- Bus station under 300 m
- Bus stop < 500 m
- Tram station < 500 m
- City bike station < 500 m
- Cycling itinerary less than 1 km away