Opened in 1941, Struthof was the only camp of its kind on French soil. Some 52,000 prisoners including German detainees and deportees from 20 other countries were subjected to forced labour here in the quarry close to the camp. In total, 22,000 people died here, usually from starvation and exhaustion. Some however perished in the "experimental" gas chamber, making it all the more important to ensure that what happened here is never forgotten.
A Memorial Site
The camp has retained its buildings surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers. The prison, gallows and gas chamber stand as poignant reminders of the horror that once reigned here.
The camp museum which is housed in one of the huts enables the public to discover how the camp was organised, aided by videos and eyewitness accounts.
The site is overlooked by the 41 m high Deportation Memorial, and inaugurated by General DeGaulle in 1960. The National Necropolis located alongside the camp contains the remains of 1,120 French deportees who died in the Nazi camps.
The Alsace-Moselle Memorial traces the tragic history of Alsace and the Moselle area from 1870 through to Franco-German reconciliation and the European construction process. It chiefly focuses on the Second World War and the annexation.
Visitors can discover an interactive educational trail in which they become a living witness to these turbulent times in Alsace's history, thanks to a number of carefully reconstructed scenes and settings. The visit also includes a chance to see photos, audiovisual clips and portraits give insights into contemporary European history.