A person visits one of the halls at newly opened memorial museum of Charles de Gaulle
© AFP/File Jeff Pachoud

COLOMBEY-LES-DEUX-EGLISES, France (AFP) - But it was in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises that De Gaulle chose to be buried, expressly stating in his final wishes that his funeral be an "extremely simple" ceremony, far from the pomp of Paris.

A newly-built memorial -- also embracing simplicity in design -- opens on Saturday in the village of 400 people, offering a 21st-century look at a man who towered over France's 20th century.

The wartime leader and former president has been linked to Colombey ever since he bought a country estate here, La Boisserie, in 1934 where he raised his family and wrote his war memoirs.

Building of newly opened memorial of Charles de Gaulle in Colombey les Deux Eglises
© AFP/File Jeff Pachoud

Married with three children, De Gaulle wanted a house not far from Paris, with a private garden where his daughter Anne, who suffered from Down syndrome, could play.

Set in the rolling hills of eastern France, the memorial is walking distance from the residence that draws hordes of visitors to the elegantly-furnished office where De Gaulle collapsed on November 9, 1970, next to a cigar humidor -- a gift from Cuba's Fidel Castro.

Built at a cost of 22 million euros (30 million dollars), the memorial mixes old video footage with newly-produced film to retrace De Gaulle's life, with a view to introducing younger generations to his vision.

But in trying to portray the personality of France's "savior", curators faced a sizeable hurdle in that they did not have a single one of his belongings to put on display, not even one of his trademark kepis.

"The De Gaulles destroyed absolutely everything that belonged to the general when he died because they wanted to prevent any sort of fetishism," said chief curator Frederique Dufour.

Part of an exhibit in one of the halls of newly opened memorial of Charles de Gaulle in Colombey les Deux Eglises
© AFP/File Jeff Pachoud

An autographed copy of De Gaulle's war memoirs dedicated to his niece Genevieve is about as up-close-and-personal as visitors can get to the general.

Other intractable challenges were thrown up during the memorial's two-year inception.

De Gaulle's handling of the war in Algeria and his contentious return to power in 1958 proved to be delicate subject matter for the team of historians intent on giving a balanced view.

"Our goal was not hagiography," said Dufour. "There is still to this day strong debate surrounding the war in Algeria and May 1958: these were the most difficult periods to depict."

During his years spent out of power in Colombey, De Gaulle remained popular with the army and in 1958 a group of officers who seized power in Algeria appealed to him to return to Paris to restore order.

De Gaulle agreed on condition that he be granted strong powers.

Part of an exhibit in one of the halls of newly opened memorial of Charles de Gaulle in Colombey les Deux Eglises
© AFP/File Jeff Pachoud

What he did with those powers left a defining mark: he drafted a new constitution giving France its modern-day institutions, developed nuclear power and heavy industry, supported contraceptives for women, and took France out of NATO to protest US dominance of the alliance.

But he made more than a few enemies along the way.

De Gaulle survived several assassination attempts by French ultra-nationalists angry at his government's moves to recognise Algerian independence.

His political foes accused him of being an egomaniac who showed little regard for dissenting views.

De Gaulle stepped down in 1969 following his defeat in a referendum on reforms, a year after the May 1968 student riots, and retreated to Colombey where he received few visitors.

For memorial director Alexandre Mora, the time is ripe for France to revisit De Gaulle's legacy.

"We had to wait for the climate to calm down to be able to take a wider view," said Mora. "De Gaulle evokes passionate emotions and these can be both positive and negative."

The general still ranks among the French as one of their greatest statesmen of all time and President Nicolas Sarkozy, who describes himself as a Gaullist, made a campaign stop in Colombey last year.

"De Gaulle is still a great man, there is no doubt about that," said historian Jean Lacouture, one of France's top experts on the leader.

"But he is no longer fashionable."

Sarkozy's pro-American positions would have De Gaulle turning in his grave, he said.

"When Sarkozy talks about a break with the past, he means De Gaulle," said Lacouture.

Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will inaugurate the memorial on Saturday at an event marking 50 years since France and Germany reconciled during a historic meeting at Colombey between De Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.

©AFP