80th anniversary of the liberation of Strasbourg

On 23 November, France celebrates the anniversary of the liberation of Strasbourg. French President Emmanuel Macron commemorates the historic event in the city and at the Université de Strasbourg together with authorities and spectators. Students and rectors from the Eucor universities are also present.

In front of 400 invited guests in the ‘Aula Marc Bloch’ of the Université de Strasbourg, the President of the French Republic gives the speech on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Strasbourg. He announces that Marc Bloch will be transferred to the Panthéon, the national burial place of famous personalities. Marc Bloch (1886 – 1944) was one of the most influential historians of the 20th century. He joined the French resistance and was shot by the Gestapo in 1944. Marc Bloch, who taught and conducted research in Strasbourg, later gave his name to the predecessor institution of the Université de Strasbourg.

‘This is why, at this university and on this day, in honour of his work, his teaching and his courage, we decide that Marc Bloch will be inducted into the Pantheon,’ said Emmanuel Macron.

Strasbourg is the last point on a commemorative path organised by the Elysée to remember the liberation of France in 1944. The route began in April on the Plateau des Glières, continued in June on the landing beaches in Normandy and on the Île de Sein and finally culminated in Strasbourg on 23 November. The city of Strasbourg and its university have great symbolic value in the history of the Second World War.

The National Socialists saw Alsace not just as temporarily occupied, but as part of the German Reich. The university there was evacuated to Clermont-Ferrand as early as 1939 and continued to operate there as the Université de Strasbourg. The Nazi regime opened a Reichsuniversität in Strasbourg in November 1941 in order to ‘Germanise’ and ‘Nazify’ academia. Three years later, on 23 November 1944, the liberation of the city of Strasbourg also announced the end of the Reichsuniversität.

As Eucor President, Basel Rector Prof. Dr Andrea Schenker-Wicki is also present in Strasbourg: ‘I am honoured to take part in the ceremony at the Université de Strasbourg together with my colleagues from the Eucor universities.’ Against the backdrop of the region's difficult history, she says: ‘Together we are sending a strong signal for cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine region and the European future of our universities.’