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

Royco (2 years ago)
Very good well preserved piece of the WWII history. This was very impressive.....

Luc Baetens (2 years ago)
Interesting place. First time we saw a bunker this size and with such level of technical sophistication.

Ralph van Roosmalen (2 years ago)
It is not the best museum but when you are close, definitely worth a visit. It feels like the soldiers left. It feels authentic. It is not too expensive.

Miss Baguette (2 years ago)
The Bunker itself is impressive and has lots of memorabilia of the war. It will take you about 45 mins to see everything, it's not too big but it is worth visiting if you're in the area and interested in D-day.

Daniela Rank (3 years ago)
History at its best. Very interesting to Look around.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Drew de F Fawkes

Historic Site of the week

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.

The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.

The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.

Atlantic Wall Museum

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Timeless Treasures of Wales

Gothic Cathedrals of Belgium

Migthy Cathar Castles

Historic Site of the week

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg