City Hall. Two French comrades find themselves on the steps of City Hall. Photo by Albert Séeberger.
Last Friday, 6 June, marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day when over 156,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in a massive seaborne military attack against Nazi Germany.
France remained occupied by German forces, and two months later on 19 August, 1944, the Paris-led French Resistance fought back against the German garrison in what came to be known as the Battle of Paris.
It was an epic battle which lasted six days, and saw reinforcements from the Free French Army of Liberation and US Third Army troops joining in the fight, eventually overcoming Hitler’s men and ending four years of Nazi occupation.
As a tribute to the resilience of the Resistance members and soldiers, Parisian photographer Julien Knez has put together a stunning collection of 50 then-and-now images that juxtapose war-time scenes with present-day shots of the French capital.
Knez trawled through old books, magazines and eBay to obtain vintage photographs of the event, some of which were taken by renowned photographers like Robert Doisneau, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Roger-Viollet and Robert Capa.
He then traipsed the streets of Paris, retracing their footsteps to pin-point the locations captured in their photographs, and matched them with their modern-day settings.
The contrast is at once striking and moving; Resistance members huddling around sandbags, men armed with rifles, and scenes of jubilation are shot against historic buildings and landmarks which have stood the test of time.
Check out some of Knez’s pictures below and view the rest of the photographs here.
Place Saint-Michel. August 19, 1944. The first battle of the uprising began. Paris and Parisians of all ages up barricades with the means at hand. Next to the Saint-Michel fountain, youth of twenty years raise the asphalt in front of the lens of Robert Doisneau. Some would say later that the excitement was such that nobody slept.
Rue de la Huchette. We are across the street from Notre Dame’s famous “fort Huchette” which protected the approaches to the Prefecture of Police. The latter had given the signal for insurrection August 19, 1944. Parisian weapons pose in front of goal by Robert Doisneau. A famous and photogenic barricade which served essentially as aid station.
Boulevard Magenta. August 21, 1944. Riparian flowers cover the wreckage of a front-wheel drive machine-gunned by a German patrol. The car carrying the FFI (French Forces of the Interior) came striking the iron curtain of a shop at 130 Boulevard Magenta near the Gare du Nord. Five French lost their lives at this point, three others will be seriously injured. Three plaques pay tribute to these men who died for France.
Prefecture of Police. Boulevard du Palais. To the Police Headquarters, the first bastion of resistance, we get a submachine gun that is pointed in the direction of Pont-au-Change (Châtelet).
Place Saint-Michel. August 23, 1944. Battle rages in the streets of the Latin Quarter, a vehicle burns near the Saint-Michel fountain in front of the lens of Robert Doisneau.
Champs-Élysées. August 26, 1944. General de Gaulle preceded by four tanks of the 2nd DB while walking down the Champs-Élysées. Paris is celebrating.
Garden of Tuileries. Paris is free. “Love and barbed wire” by Robert Doisneau in 1944.
[via PetaPixel and Golem 13, original images via various photographers, present-day images and captions by Julien Knez]