Fort Schoenenbourg, Alsace, France (Maginot Line)

[woodsman]

Last weekend we visited the Ouvrage Fort Schoenenbourg, a Maginot artillery bunker located near Strassbourg/Karlsruhe, german/french border in Alsace, France.

The Ouvrage is a museum. There are a couple of other Maginot museums, but this one here could be the one in best shape, restored as close as possible to its original condition. Also, the bunker is temporarly hosting some kind of an art exhibit at the moment, called "underground", up until end of october, which was very exiting to see in between of all the original war equipment.

If you are in the area and planing on a visit to a Maginot museum, you should visit Schoenenbourg.

 

I visited several other Maginot museums in the area as well and this one is the best to my opinion. Also, there is no "guided tour", compared to the other Maginot museums. At Schoenenbourg, you can explore the whole bunker on your own, everything is multi-lingual in fench, german and english.

1945 HISTORY:
No fighting took place in the area of Schoenenbourg during the American advances of 1945, but the retreating Germans of the 245th Infantry Division caused extensive damage in March, using explosives to wreck the entrances and turrets, along with a number of nearby casemates. The U.S. 36th Infantry Division took possession of the damaged ouvrage on 20 March 1945.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouvrage_Schoenenbourg#1945

GOOGLE MAP:
https://maps.google.de/maps?q=fort+schoenenbourg

MUSEUM WEBSITE:
http://www.lignemaginot.com

Here are some pictures we took at the bunker:

 

[woodsman]

art exhibit "underground"

[woodsman]

inside the fort

[woodsman]

some art in the power plant of the bunker

[woodsman]

bunker art

[woodsman]

newspaper 1940

[woodsman]

photo art

[Red Devil]

Very neat photos! Indeed very nicely preserved and that art gallery is interesting. I went through Simserhof, Four-a-Chaux, and the one at Hatten several years ago and loved touring these old fortifications.

[woodsman]

=)

[woodsman]

original signs taken from abandoned maginot bunker to be displayed here.

[woodsman]

children drawings of the bunker

[woodsman]

children drawings

[woodsman]

end of photo set

[woodsman]

Thanks Red Deivl.

 

At Schoenenbourg its also possible to use the elevator to reach underground level. No need to walk down endless stairs. Very much fun.

 

Video link youtube:

[woodsman]

2 more videos

 

 

MAGINOT Fort Schonenbourg 2014 Usine Power Plant Kraftwerk Area

 

MAGINOT Fort Schoenenbourg "underground" light effects installation August 2014

 

[Backtheattack]

Couldn`t understand why they always must destroy a historical building used as museum with modern art. They did it with several museums under state ownership in Germany, too.

[woodsman]

Well, I found it quite interesting, especially the various light installations or the drawed pictures from the children. =)