Arc-et-Senans is a small town in the Doubs department (France), located around 100 kilometres from the border with Switzerland. During World War II, it lay within the German-occupied part of France, close to the demarcation line separating it from the so-called Free Zone. Between 1 September 1941 and 11 September 1943, around 500 people categorised as ‘Nomades’ were interned in a detention camp set up in the former Saline royale d’Arc-et-Senans [Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans]. The saltworks, built in 1779, had been owned by the Doubs department since 1927.
Internment
On 21 May 1941, the Feldkommandatur [Field command] of Besançon ordered the internment of persons referred to as ‘Tsiganes’ from the departments of Doubs, Haute-Saône, Territoire de Belfort and Jura. In June 1941, 50 people were transferred to the Forêt domaniale de la Chaux [State Forest of Chaux] located in the Jura department. As they could not all be accommodated in the forest lodge allocated to them, they lived outdoors in appalling sanitary conditions; they had hardly any food, as they had not received ration cards. The families complained to the local Kreiskommandantur [District command], which then arranged for their evacuation. On 1 September 1941, the families were transferred to the Centre de rassemblement des ‘Nomades’ [Assembly Centre for ‘Nomades’] in the former Saline royale d’Arc-et-Senans. This site had served as a reception centre for Spanish refugees from October 1939 to June 1940 and had been used, first by the French and later by the German army, until the summer of 1941.
Composition of the Internees
A census carried out on 30 November 1942 recorded 253 internees, including 141 children. The majority of the internees were Sinti (Manouches) and so-called Gens du voyage [travellers]; almost all of them were French citizens (94 %). The proportion of children in the Arc-et-Senans internment camp was comparatively high. In the course of 1942 and 1943, families from other departments in the region were brought to Arc-et-Senans: on 4 April 1942, 25 people from the Moselle department and eighteen people from the Vosges department, who had been expelled by the German authorities, were transferred to the camp. In September 1942, the ‘Nomades’ held at the Moloy detention camp (Côte d’Or) were transferred to Arc-et-Senans. In July 1943, the ‘Nomades’ from the Fort de Peigney detention camp (Haute-Marne) were admitted.
The Camp
On 8 May 1942, 34 families occupied half of the rooms in seven stone pavilions arranged in a semicircle. Supplies were not centrally organised, and families were therefore permitted to leave the camp, particularly to go to work. Although the camp commander, retired gendarmerie captain Vernerey (biographical data unknown), generally allowed such movements, numerous escape attempts occurred. Following complaints from local residents, the Prefect of the Doubs department, René Linares (1899–1979), changed the status of the site on 15 May 1942, officially designating it as an internment camp. This change abolished leave and led to the systematic organisation of provisions. Guarding of the site was taken over by regional customs officers.
Living conditions, however, remained extremely harsh. Despite the thick walls, the buildings were cold because of their dilapidated state and lack of heating. Geneviève Chandello-Félix (1933–2016), a Manouche girl interned in Arc-et-Senans from 1942 to 1943, recalled in 2008: ‘We lived on the ground floor of a building; five or six families shared the ground floor. We had very little. We slept in a small room on a 90-centimetre-wide iron bed; with a piece of straw mat and a blanket. We were cold. During the day, my grandmother gathered small twigs behind the camp where there were some trees. We used the twigs to light a fire in the evening. We had a little stove.’1https://www.alaingagnieux.fr/migrations-et-itinerances/histoire-de-limmigration-dans-le-doubs/temoignages/genevieve-chandello-felix-internee-a-8-ans-au-camp-darc-et-senans-doubs/ [accessed: 18/03/2026]. Translation into English: Emanuel Marx L’Huillier.
The camp’s infrastructure was in very poor condition: staircases and ceilings were partially destroyed, and the sanitary facilities and showers were out of order. Although a medical station existed, the appalling hygienic conditions led to widespread illnesses such as scabies. Between July and November 1942, around 60 people required hospitalisation. Hygiene measures were later introduced, particularly at the camp school attended by the children. Geneviève Chandello-Félix noted: ‘Every two weeks, a staff member came to cut our hair short for hygienic reasons, boys and girls alike; this was intended to combat lice.’2Ibid. However, these measures proved only partially effective: in August 1943, among 185 internees, 44 cases of skin disease were recorded, alongside lice, scabies and other infestations.
Forced Labour
Between October 1942 and April 1943, fourteen people designated as ‘Nomades’ were conscripted into forced labour by the Organisation Todt. They were assigned to cement works in Champagnole (Jura). One of them, Joseph Lagrené (1909–unknown), was injured whilst working there, enabling him to escape forced labour. In July 1943, a further 46 men were conscripted into forced labour, primarily in the surrounding forests, especially in the La Joux state forest.
Escape Attempts and Closure of the Camp
The classification of the salt works as a Monument historique prevented the installation of barbed wire along the perimeter wall, which was relatively easy to scale. The customs officers responsible for guarding the camp were understaffed, unarmed and insufficiently trained, and were unable to prevent the numerous escape attempts. On 23 June 1943, the camp held 311 internees, including 101 who had escaped at least once. Many internees escaped as families; they were often recaptured, and some made up to five escape attempts. In response, German authorities demanded the closure of the camp, which took place on 11 September 1943. The remaining 168 internees were transferred to the Jargeau detention camp (Loiret).
Commemoration
On 11 and 12 March 1999, the Institut Claude Nicolas Ledoux, owner of the site, organised a symposium entitled Arc-et-Senans, camp d’internement: une étape dans le traitement discriminatoire des ‘Tsiganes’ [The internment camp in Arc-et-Senans: a stage in the discriminatory treatment of the ‘Tsiganes’]. On 9 April 1999, a commemorative plaque in honour of the interned families was unveiled at the entrance to the saltworks. Today, the permanent exhibition at this cultural site, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reminds visitors of the camp’s history.
