Article published in Ouest France on 18/04/2026 by Christophe Leconte
The MUCAP (Musée des captivités de guerre) will open in spring 2028 in Foucarville, now part of Sainte-Mère-Église (Manche). Content, operation, price: we know more about this project with an original theme on a former 1944 prison camp.
The W.J. Kennedy Association, named after the American commander of the Foucarville prison camp, is a French association set up under the aegis of two foundations (W.J. Kennedy and Mérimée), which are best placed to collect sponsorship. The association will own and manage the MUCAP, the
Museum of War Captivity.
“Our operation is based on the associative model of the Sainte-Mère-Eglise Airborne Museum, which sponsors us,” emphasizes Maya Duburch, general delegate. President Dominique Imbert is joined by Jean Quétier, President of the Comité du Débarquement, author Anne Broilliard and historian Fabien Théofilakis…
How did the project come about?
Anne Broilliard and Benoit Lenoël’s book, “Prisonniers allemands en Normandie”, in 2017. “It brought the largest German prison camp in Europe created by the Americans out of oblivion.”
The other spring was the donation of Colonel Kennedy’s archives by his daughter. Until then, “these archives had lain dormant in an attic in Connecticut. The Kennedy collection comprises some 3,000 archival documents and objects: logistical documents, letters, the production of prisoners in the camp…” The collection has been digitized by the Fabrique des patrimoines in Caen.
What do we know about how the camp works?
It was opened on June 9, 1944 as a transit camp. “It quickly became a permanent camp, given the influx of prisoners as Allied troops liberated France,” continues Maya Duburch. The number of German prisoners who passed through Foucarville is estimated at 100,000. “Prisoners did not go out to work, as in most other camps.”
Young prisoners were taught democracy. The Foucarville camp was dismantled in 1947. “There’s nothing left of it, except a few traces of road paving.
What will the museum contain?
Foucarville was a model camp “but the museum won’t just be about Foucarville”. Three other prison camps will be presented (in Aubagne, administered by France, in England and in Poland) “under the supervision of Fabien Théofilakis, a leading specialist in wartime captivity. We also look at the rights of prisoners of war, re-education and even denazification, with testimonials from former prisoners…”
The aim is to show an aspect of the war that is “little or unknown to the public, as a complement to existing museums”. There will be archives, objects, audiovisuals, audio guides in three languages… Outside, the former camp will be visible “from a belvedere in the memorial garden. We also have a ten-year program of temporary exhibitions on the theme of wartime captivity around the world.
What’s the budget and timetable?
The association is forecasting a budget of 11.8 million, 57% of which will come from public subsidies (from Europe, Normandy and the Département de la Manche). In addition to a bank loan, “American, German and French sponsorship should cover 33% of expenses. We have already raised over a million euros, which has enabled us to start the operation”.
Construction is due to start in autumn 2026, and the museum is scheduled to open in spring 2028. A “non-invasive, scanner-based” archaeological excavation of the former camp is also planned.
For which visitors?
In addition to the usual audience for D-Day museums, Mucap could also attract visitors from across the Rhine. Not very visible, “descendants of prisoners have been coming to Normandy for a long time”, notably to the German cemetery at La Cambe.
The association forecasts an annual attendance of 70,000. Around ten people will be employed, including seasonal workers, and some functions will be shared with the Airborne Museum. Full admission will be €11.