We entered Fort Queleu in Metz and the first thing we came across was a monument (pictured below) to the Resistance, which contained the ashes of a prisoner from the camp. During this visit to the fort, I was inspired by the area and what it represented. Although the conditions were horrific for the hundreds of prisoners who were held there and tortured, to me the fort, and especially the monument, represents hope and resilience. The fort, sometimes called the “Hell of Queleu” (Enfer de Queleu) was not a concentration camp, but rather an interrogation center for captured or arrested members of the French Resistance. Between October 1943 and August 1944, between 1500 and 1800 prisoners were interrogated, tortured and kept blindfolded with their hands and feet bound in horrific conditions before being sent to concentration camps or prison or sentenced to death. 36 people died in the camp while four managed to escape. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay I am Jewish, I grew up with my entire Jewish family and my grandparents always taught me that we live to remember so that events like the Holocaust and World War II will never happen again. Likewise, the inhabitants of Metz cannot and will never forget the suffering suffered and the consequences of the two periods that involved this fort, the war of 1870 between Germany and France and the Nazi internment camp during the Second World War. The reason I talk about hope, though, is because living in this period in Metz and being mentally and physically tortured by other human beings in a closed, underground camp would force anyone to lose all hope, but the French Resistance was politically and morally uplifting for the people. entire country of France. The Resistance planned, coordinated, and carried out acts of sabotage against the Nazi German occupation of France, giving the country an inspiring example of what patriotism looked like so that others would join the fight against the SS and other Nazi organizations. At the fort (pictured below) for our tour early that morning, I noticed lots of runners and cyclists passing by. At first I remember how strange it seemed to me that such a seemingly historically significant place, an interrogation camp where the Nazis held prisoners just down the street from our dorms, had been turned into a running and biking track. At the time, a couple of weeks ago, it seemed shocking to hide the history of the fort and turn the area into a fitness trail. But recently, as I've delved deeper into the topic and learned to appreciate the history of this area much more, my feelings on the subject have softened a bit. I still wouldn't say I'm completely comfortable taking a lap or two around the camp, but I think I understand why people do it in some way. Part of the problem, first of all, appears to be financing. Everywhere you look, every corner you turn in this part of the world, there is another World War II historic site, another Roman ruin. We don't have this problem to this extent in the United States due to our comparatively shorter and less extensive history, but with so many historic sites, funding will eventually run out and only a certain number of places will be preserved. The other problem is memory, the memory of a healed region. I said before that, like the Jewish people, the French people will never be able to forget the horrors and suffering they had to endure at the hands of the German regime, but in many ways people wish they could. I understand that feeling. They want to forget that one more.