Atlantic Wall Museum, Ouistreham, France

Located at a stones throw from the beach and the Ferry terminal, the Atlantic Wall Museum (Le Grand Bunker Musee du Mur de l'Atlantique) is inside the old German headquarter which was in charge of the batteries covering the entrance of the river Orne and the canal. The 52ft high concrete tower has been fully restaured to make it look how it was on the 6th of june 1944.

You will discover on the Grand Bunker's six floors all its inner rooms, which have been recreated down to the last detail: generator room, gas filters room, casemate with machine gun protecting the entrance, dormitory, medical store, sick bay, armoury, ammunition store, radio transmission room, telephone switchboard, observation post equipped with a powerful range-finder and on the top floor a 360° view over Sword Beach.

You will also be able to see many photographs and documents concerning the construction of the Atlantic wall, the artillery, the beach defences, observation, etc. A souvenir of the assault and shock troops specially trained for OVERLORD operation to attack the Atlantic Wall, and the everyday life of the Germany Army soldiers.

References:

The Museum of the Atlantic Wall

User Reviews

Zohar Tenne (2 years ago)
A very interesting visit, especially with kids (mine were around 10 years old)

Tim Griffiths (2 years ago)
My third visit. I still find it fascinating. An informative couple of hours.

Matthew English (2 years ago)
A fascinating museum located in an old German coastal defense bunker. Very detailed information plaques offer a ton of information throughout the museum. It can get a bit cramped to navigate if there are a lot of other visitors (there are some narrow halls, low ceilings and tight spiral staircases) so it may not be the best place to visit during peak tourist season. But certainly a worthwhile visit for anyone interested in WWII history. Even if you don't want to pay the admission to visit the bunker, you can still see a couple artillery guns and a D-Day landing craft (used in the filming of Saving Private Ryan) outside in the courtyard.

Patrick Turner (2 years ago)
Definitely worth visiting. You can find a few free, abandoned bunkers in Normandy but the way they have displayed “soldiers” and true artifacts none will give you the feel like this one will.

Tim Corbett (2 years ago)
Wanted to learn more about the construction and development of the Atlantic Wall. The taking of this position could have been done as an interesting ending. Little in the way of real information. Plus side a good collection of equipment but most look in a poor state of preservation. Also why the lack of real literature in the shop. There are a few books now available on 6th June from the German view and it would have been good to see some of these.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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