#Monument
Memory in Aspe, a work for peace
Installed in 2021 by the Mémoire d'Aspe association, this large map is part of a set of five themed works retracing events that were significant for the inhabitants of the valley. In Lhers, the chosen subject recalls the places, men, and women who escaped or acted as smugglers in connection with the Freedom Trail.
The plaque, designed as an unfolded map by artists and designers Anne-Laure Boyer, Emmanuel Espinasse, and Marc Vernier, allows visitors to follow the routes taken by the fugitives until their enlistment in North Africa, their return to England, or their exile in America. It also features various smugglers from the valley, including Henri Barrio, a schoolteacher who helped the escapees bypass the forbidden zone by taking them on his motorcycle. The silhouettes of each individual raise questions about their stories and roles.
This monument is the result of a public commission from the Haut-Béarn Community of Communes, initiated by the Association Mémoire d'Aspe, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the SNCF Foundation, and the municipalities of the Aspe Valley.