ANCIEN CAMP DE CONCENTRATION DE NATZWEILER-STRUTHOF

In the heart of the Vosges mountains, at an altitude of 800 m on Mont-Louise, lie the remains of the only concentration camp on French territory. In the spring of 1941, the Nazis opened the Konzentrationslager (KL) Natzweiler (Natzweiler Concentration Camp) in Le Struthof, Alsace, annexed by Germany of the ^Third Reich, to exploit a vein of pink granite identified in 1940. Until September 1944, deportees endured hell in this camp, surrounded by a magnificent landscape. 52,000 people from all over Europe were deported to KL-Natzweiler or its network of annex camps. They were mainly political deportees and members of the Resistance, but also Jews, gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, etc. The Struthof site covers 4.5 hectares of slopes and terraces. It bears witness to the terrible reality of concentration camps: barracks, watchtowers, the crematorium, the gas chamber for medical experiments... A museum recounts the history of the camp and passes on the memory of the Natzweiler deportees, a third of whom disappeared forever. The Centre Européen du Résistance Déporté (European Center for Deported Resistance Fighters) stands above the Kartoffelkeller, a reinforced concrete cellar built by the deportees. It sheds light on the rise of Nazism and the Resistance fighters who fought against barbarism. A ten-minute film introduces the historical tour. Its permanent exhibition, "S'engager, Résister, Combattre" (Commitment, Resistance, Combat), makes visitors reflect not only on the past, but also on the construction of Europe after the Second World War, its future and the possible threats it faces in maintaining peace. The Memorial to the Heroes and Martyrs of the Deportation was inaugurated in 1960 by General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic. The 40 m-high monument, engraved with a skeletal deportee, represents a flame. An unknown deportee was buried at the foot of the memorial, and urns containing the ashes of several deportees from other concentration camps lie in the crypt. The Struthof necropolis is all around. All this contributes to the necessary duty of remembrance. A visit rich in emotion.

For a complete visit of the site, allow 2h30 to 3h. Visit the website to prepare your visit - essential if you're bringing young people. Several resources are available to the public, including archives and testimonials.