Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières
Monument
Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières, located in Glières-Val-de-Borne (Département 74), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Glières-Val-de-Borne, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.9650, 6.3334
- Mérimée Reference
- PA74000038
On the wild Glières plateau, a monumental abstract sculpture by Émile Gilioli pays tribute to the maquisards of 1944 - the ultimate symbol of the French Resistance, inaugurated by André Malraux in 1973.
History
At an altitude of 1,440 metres, on a windswept plateau surrounded by Alpine peaks, the Glières National Resistance Monument stands out as one of France's most striking places of remembrance. It is not a castle, church or palace: it is an abstract sculpture emerging from the rock and the silence, in the very place where men chose to die free. The work imposes a rare presence, combining artistic daring with a total emotional charge. Designed by Émile Gilioli, a disciple of Brancusi and a major figure in French abstract sculpture, the monumental composition in bronze and concrete is in dialogue with the immensity of the Haute-Savoie landscape. The pure forms, reaching for the sky, evoke flight, struggle and contemplation. Here, Gilioli succeeds in sublimating abstraction to place it at the service of historical emotion, a balance rarely achieved in twentieth-century commemorative art. Visiting the site is part of a wider itinerary: a signposted trail crosses the plateau, recalling the positions of the combatants, and a memorial area provides a rigorous historical context. The nearby memorial sites at Morette add to the experience, allowing visitors to retrace the entire chronology of the liberation of Haute-Savoie. The Plateau des Glières is a living monument, profoundly transformed by the seasons. In winter, the snow blurs the contours of the world and reinforces the isolation experienced by the maquisards. In summer, the light of the Alps cuts through the forms of the sculpture with an almost brutal sharpness. In all seasons, the silence of the place speaks as loudly as the steles and inscriptions. It's a place that leaves no one indifferent, whether you're a history buff, an art lover or just a hiker in search of meaning.
Architecture
The Monument national de la Résistance des Glières is a large-scale abstract sculptural work, designed to blend into the Alpine landscape while at the same time making a powerful statement. Émile Gilioli, trained in the tradition of modern sculpture and influenced by the teachings of Constantin Brancusi, opted for a language of pure, taut, organic forms rather than the realistic figuration that dominated traditional commemorative art at the time. The patinated bronze ensemble is built around asymmetrical volumes that simultaneously evoke outstretched wings, flames and stylised human silhouettes, leaving visitors free to make their own emotional interpretation. Engineer Étienne Schoendorffer was responsible for the technical implementation of the installation in rigorous Alpine conditions, firmly anchoring the sculpture to the windy plateau. The work rests on a sober concrete base that creates a transition between the ruggedness of the mountain terrain and the fluidity of the bronze forms. The composition plays on contrasts: the dense, dark material of the metal against the changing light of the plateau, the complexity of the volumes against the simple horizon of the Alps. The memorial site as a whole incorporates the sculptural monument, a signposted trail on the plateau recalling the defensive positions of the maquisards, and an educational memorial area. This combination of art, landscape and historical education makes Les Glières a rare example of successful memorial development on a European scale, where the architecture of remembrance interacts with the natural topography without ever dominating it.
Related Figures
Émile Gilioli (1911-1977) — sculpteur, auteur du monument, figure de la sculpture abstraite françaiseTom Morel — lieutenant, fondateur et premier chef du maquis des Glières, tué au combat le 10 mars 1944Maurice Anjot — capitaine, successeur de Tom Morel à la tête du maquis, ordonné la dispersion en mars 1944André Malraux — écrivain et ancien ministre de la Culture, prononça le discours d'inauguration le 2 septembre 1973Étienne Schoendorffer — ingénieur, responsable de la mise en œuvre technique du monument en altitude
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières located?
Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières is located in Glières-Val-de-Borne, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France.
When was Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières built?
Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières open to visitors?
Monument à la Résistance du plateau des Glières is currently closed to visitors.