World War II was fought 70 years ago. A lot has happened since then, and although it’s a significant part of history, we don’t think about it much in our everyday lives. Yet, what if your everyday life took place in a city that was once occupied by Nazi soldiers?
Believe it or not, you still don’t think about it that much. Why should you? Very few of us experienced this important era of world history firsthand, which is why when we see photographs of it, like the ones recently unearthed by an unknown solider, they’re so riveting. It’s a reminder that even though a street, building, or gate that you encounter every day may seem like a boring old structure, something very significant may have happened there.
This is the idea that a 19-year-old DeviantArt user named Pierre is trying to provoke in a series of photographs he’s recently taken. A year ago, he stumbled upon some photos online from World War II. The pictures were taken in his city of Dijon, France. He decided to go to these spots where the pictures where taken and re-shoot the photos at the same angle…70 years later.
“I originally wanted to show my friends and family how these streets they cross everyday looked like at a time when freedom was nothing else but a distant dream, a time when my own grandfather walked between these same buildings,” he wrote on Bored Panda. “Looking at the old picture while standing there, imagining Germans, the Free French Forces, the uniforms, the rifles, the pain, the joy, and all these situations around me. It feels like I am, myself, a part of history.”
Take a look at these before and after photos of Dijon, France to see how the city has changed…
“Dijon was invaded on June 17th, 1940,” Pierre said of this photo. “These are the German troops gathering in front of the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, a 14th–18th-century building.”
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy today:
The Church of Notre Dame, which is considered a masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic architecture, overlooks German soldiers.
The Church of Notre Dame today:
German soliders pose in front of the Parc Darcy fountain.
Parc Darcy fountain today:
The Wehrmacht orchestra, which consisted of Nazi soldiers, playing at Parc Darcy.
Parc Darcy today:
Nazi guards in front of a mansion on a street in Dijon called Rue Monge.
Rue Monge today:
Nazis engulf sculptor François Pompon’s Bear.
François Pompon’s Bear today:
This is Place François Rude, which is now a popular tourist spot, in the 1940s.
Place François Rude today:
On September 11th, 1944, everything changed when the Allies took over the city, ending the Nazi occupation.
That area of Palace of the Dukes today:
Crowds flooded the streets and celebrated as the Free French Forces triumphantly drove in front of the Palace of the Dukes.
That area of Palace of the Dukes today:
The Palace of the Dukes became the city hall and a popular tourist destination.
That area of Palace of the Dukes today:
