A Parisian square a haven of tranquility. This is Avenue Suzanne Buisson. It sits on Montmartre Hill in the 18th arrondissement. This peaceful green space remembers Suzanne Buisson. She was a remarkable politician and resistance fighter. She lived from 1883 to 1944. Suzanne was deported to Auschwitz. She died there.
The square’s entrance is at 7 bis rue Girardon or Rue Simon Demeure. Find a commemorative plaque there. It honors Suzanne’s life and bravery. Suzanne was a left-wing Jewish activist. In 1905 she joined the French section of the Workers’ International. She remained active until 1920. She even attended the Socialist Workers’ International in Vienna in 1931.
Suzanne’s life was marked by personal loss. Her first husband Charles Gibault died in 1914. She remarried in 1926 to Georges Buisson. He was a CGT Union leader. Suzanne worked tirelessly for women’s rights. She believed women needed freedom from domestic servitude. She wanted them to be independent beings. This meant emotional economic and intellectual independence.
During World War II Suzanne joined the resistance. She worked with Liberation-Sud. This was a clandestine movement in the Lyon region. She became a liaison. This connected occupied and free zones. She served the clandestine Socialist Party and the French Communist Party.
The Gestapo arrested her in Lyon on April 1 1944. Her last known address in Lyon was 25 rue Marc Bernard. She was imprisoned in Montluc prison. Later she was moved to Fresnes prison in Paris. Finally she was sent to Drancy. From Drancy she was deported to Auschwitz on June 30 1944. She did not survive.
The square features a statue of Saint Denis. He was the first bishop of Paris. Legend says he carried his head after his beheading. The statue stands above a modern fountain. The original fountain dried up in 1810 after an underground collapse. Saint Denis’s legend says he washed his head at a fountain on Montmartre. This was after his martyrdom.
Avenue Suzanne Buisson is more than a park. It is a place of remembrance. The trees plane trees poplars and rosebushes offer shade. There are apple and cherry trees. A sorbier des oiseleurs stands tall. Its fruits remain from July to December. Bowls games and play structures make it a community gathering place. The square reflects both the quiet beauty of nature and the strength of a woman’s spirit. It embodies the legacy of Suzanne Buisson. A courageous woman who fought for justice and freedom.