Refugees
After the soldiers had departed for the front, the tragedies of war began to become clear to Parisians in August 1914 when refugees from Belgium and other occupied regions began to stream into the city. The Belgians’ fate solicited high levels of compassion among the French, who were outraged that the Germans had violated their country's neutrality. Whole families showed up with few possessions at the Gare du Nord, as charities grew up that specialized in helping refugees and struggled to generate funding and support. The refugees needed food, care and a roof over their heads. The photographer Charles Lansiaux left eloquent testimony to the welcome extended to refugees at the Cirque de Paris, Avenue de la Motte-Picquet and the floating village at the Quai de la Gare. Refugees sometimes organized themselves to provide aid for people from the same region and to offer help with requests for public assistance, which was very difficult to obtain. Private charities gave critical assistance to help families reassemble household furniture and start thinking about returning to their homeland once the war ended.
