Musee de la Reddition: Where Germany Surrendered to End WWII in Europe

At 2:41 AM on May 7, 1945, German General Alfred Jodl signed the document that ended World War II in Europe. The room where he signed still exists in Reims, France. The maps are still on the walls. The chairs remain in place. You can walk into that room.

The Musée de la Reddition preserves General Dwight D. Eisenhower's wartime headquarters exactly as it was the night Germany surrendered unconditionally to Allied forces.

Standing in Eisenhower's headquarters

The museum occupies the building that served as Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during the final months of the war. What was then a technical college became the command center for the Allied advance into Germany.

Walk into the War Room and you see the original Allied battle maps still affixed to the walls. These aren't replicas. These are the actual maps Eisenhower's staff used to track troop movements, plan operations, and coordinate the final push that brought Germany to surrender.

The surrender table sits in the center of the room. Around it, the chairs where German and Allied officers sat during those early morning hours when the war officially ended.

What the museum preserves

Beyond the signature room itself, exhibits include military uniforms worn by personnel stationed here, photographs documenting the surrender ceremony, and archives detailing the events leading to Germany's capitulation.

A 12-minute film screens in French, English, and German, explaining the significance of what happened in this building and why Reims became the location for this historic moment.

The displays show the months of military operations that preceded the surrender. You see how the Allied forces closed in on Germany from multiple directions, how communication between commanders worked, and how the final negotiations unfolded.

The surrender explained

Germany actually surrendered twice. The first surrender happened here in Reims at 2:41 AM on May 7, 1945. Soviet leadership insisted on a second, more formal ceremony in Berlin the following day, May 8.

The news was broadcast simultaneously at 3 PM on May 8 in Allied capitals. That's why May 8 became Victory in Europe Day, even though the actual signing happened a day earlier in Reims.

General Jodl represented Germany's armed forces. He signed the unconditional surrender of all German military forces to the Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command.

Planning your visit

The museum is located northwest of the Reims train station at the Lycée Roosevelt (the building's current name). Reims is easily accessible from Paris by train, making it a straightforward day trip or stop when traveling through the Champagne region.

The museum typically opens 10 AM to 6 PM, closed Tuesdays and major French holidays.

Important note: The museum closes May 12, 2025 for renovation work and will reopen in March 2026.

Your family stands in a room where world history pivoted. The war that consumed Europe for six years ended in this space. The preserved headquarters makes that abstract history tangible.

More information:

• Musée de la Reddition

• More WWII historical sites