Exploring the tunnels of the maginot line
Imagine the year is 1944. World War 2 is in full swing and you, a French soldier, are stationed in Schoenenbourg, close to the German border. Together with 360 other men, you go about your daily business while waiting for an invasion by the Nazi troops. Not an uncommon situation during that era.
The only twist: you are situated 30m underground in the bunkers of the Maginot Fortification System.
Main entrance to the Fort Schoenenbourg in Alsace.
What is the Maginot Line?
The Maginot Line, named after the French Minister of War, was a line of concrete fortifications built in the 1930s in anticipation of an attack by German forces. Constructed along France’s borders to Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy, the Maginot Line was built to prevent surprise attacks and slow down invasion from German troops. Although the fortifications along the Maginot Line was invunerable to aerial attacks and tank fire, the Line was weak in the Ardennes, a forested, hilly area which the French believed would deter, or at least slow a German attack. Unfortunately, the Germans knew about this weak spot and used it to cross the French border, move around the Line and swiftly launch an attack on the allied forces. After entering France through the Ardennes, the Maginot Line was rendered useless and until today is known as one of France’s biggest waste of funds.
Visiting the Maginot Line
Altough the Maginot Line stretched along almost the entire French border, only few fortifications are open for visitors. One of the largest and best preserved bunker complexes is the Fort Schoenenbourg, near the communes of Hunsbach, Schoenenbourg and Ingolsheim on the eastern end of the Alsace. For an entrance fee of 10€ (adults) or 5€ (children), visitors can enter the historic complex and walk along the network of tunnels to experience the life of French soldiers during WW2.
The fort can be entered through the main ammunitions entrance. An elevator takes visitors 30m underground. From there, they can explore the 8 blocks which consisted out of artillery and ammunitions rooms, machine gun turrets, an infirmary, utility rooms and barracks that was home to 630 soldiers. The seperate blocks are connected with around 3kms of tunnels which even include a (now not functioning) railway system.
Good to know
If you are planning a visit to Fort Schoenenbourg, it is important to keep the following in mind:
Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes. Visiting the fort requires a lot of walking. To view all the blocks, you’ll cover around 3 km and there aren’t many opportunities to sit down and take a rest. As the tunnels can be moist, shoes with proper grip are a must to prevent slipping.
Wear a jacket. The tunnels are quite cold, so it’s important to wear warm clothing.
Don’t visit if you are clausterphobic. Some sections of the bunker system are quite narrow. If you are afraid of dark and narrow spaces, rather avoid visiting Fort Schoenenbourg.
