Story perspectives

Lutetia Hotel: A Refuge for Dissidents and Survivors

4/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

Jane Rogoyska, author of the book, portrays the Lutetia hotel as a refuge for dissidents fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
It later served as a repatriation center for concentration camp survivors after the Germans fled Paris in August 1944.
Notable guests included Walter Benjamin, who committed suicide, and Irène Némirovsky, who died in Auschwitz.
The Lutetia's atmosphere shifted from a hub of intellectuals to sorrow, reflecting the broader struggles of Nazi-occupied Paris.

1 of 1

Story summary

Jane Rogoyska, author of the book, portrays the Lutetia hotel as a refuge for dissidents fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
It later served as a repatriation center for concentration camp survivors after the Germans fled Paris in August 1944.
Notable guests included Walter Benjamin, who committed suicide, and Irène Némirovsky, who died in Auschwitz.
The Lutetia's atmosphere shifted from a hub of intellectuals to sorrow, reflecting the broader struggles of Nazi-occupied Paris.