The Largest Fortification in the Maginot Line in Alsace When it was completed in 1935, the Schoenenbourg fort was considered to be indestructible. This was amply demonstrated in 1940, when a hailstorm of 3000 bombs and shells rained down on the site. Despite bombardment by mortars and by the German air force, the fort withstood everything that was thrown at it, and enabled its defenders to hold out until the Armistice.
A visit to the fort's 3 km of tunnels situated at a depth of 30 m underground will help visitors to understand exactly how the fortress operated. The equipment used here was typical of the Maginot Line, including kitchens, an electrical workshop, an infirmary, barracks, etc.
The combat blocks, turrets and command posts are situated 1 km away from the entrances. In total, the fort could hold up to 650 troops.
The Hatten Bunker
Built in 1930 as part of the Maginot Line, the Hatten Bunker provided shelter for the crews manning the casemates. More than 220 soldiers could live here at any one time.
The bunker included the latest equipment of the day including food storage rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, toilet blocks, wells, heating facilities, an infirmary, a machine room, poison gas protection and close quarter defence equipment.
Specially arranged scenes and reconstructions of the original rooms give visitors a very accurate impression of what life was like in these bunkers.
The bunker includes a 60 m long facade with two doors and four firing slits for machine gunners. The ditches located all around the bunker have been designed to trap debris in the event of shelling or bombing, and to make access all the more difficult for the enemy.
A Major Collection of Military Equipment
Outside, a huge collection of French, German, American and Soviet military equipment is on show, dating from 1940 up to the present day. Visitors can admire vehicles, fighter aircraft, helicopters and armoured vehicles from the Second World War and the Cold War.