The date usually given for the end of World War II is either May 8 or May 9, 1945, shortly before or shortly after midnight, which is when the German High Command signed the surrender papers in Berlin.

A day before, on May 7, lower ranking German officers had already signed the unconditional surrender agreement in a school building in Reims, which at the time was the headquarters of the American General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower himself was in the building but did not take part in the signing. Why not? Because no German officer of his rank was present. (Military logic?)

In the map room

The map room, where the surrender was signed, has been preserved just as it was — but put behind glass to protect the maps and furniture.

Exhibits in the Surrender Museum

Visitors in the Surrender Museum

In addition to the map room, the Museum of Surrender (Musée de la Reddition) has small exhibits and a film on the final stages of the war.

Entrance to the Surrender Museum, 10 rue Franklin-Roosevelt, Reims

Location, aerial view and photo of the Surrender Museum on monumentum.fr.

My photos in this post are from 2013. I revised the text in 2018.

See more posts on Reims, France.