MEINTZER PHILIPPE

Fort Schoenenbourg is a good place to visit to get a sense of what the Maginot Line was like. As a bonus, exploring the 2 km of underground tunnels is a additional workout. A personal tip: park your car at the northern casemate. From that parking area, it is a scenic 30-minute walk to the main entrance. It gives also a live view how it looked from the top live.

It’s a self guided tour with a few places where volunteers offer some explanation. Plan at least 2-3 hours below the ground, there’s a lot to explore. Dress for humid cool, the humidity down there is high, so although the air is rather cool you shouldn’t dress too warm or you may be uncomfortable. Plenty of parking space.

If you are interested in military history you must visit. Self guided and the fort is huge. Give yourself more than two hours and there is a lot of walking. Fascinating structure and so well designed. Just brilliant, also wear something warm and good tread on your shoes / boots.

The Schoenenbourg Fortress, one of many sections of the Maginot Line, impresses everyone! Its size, grandeur, engineering, and organization. I use the term "fortress" wisely, as it is a huge, fortified defensive structure capable of functioning independently. We are not experts or military enthusiasts, and our visit to Schoenenbourg was intended to confirm and expand our knowledge of the Maginot Line. We fully answered these questions thanks to the fact that we were able to move freely around the fortress at our own pace. The tour trails are well-described, clearly marked to which bastion they lead. Along the way, there are numerous information boards, descriptions, historical posters, rooms, and equipment necessary for life and defense. Life-support equipment, military equipment, and transportation were important elements of the fortress. The infrastructure is incredibly impressive. I cannot help but express my respect and admiration for the people who conceived, designed, built, and served there. It's not important to us whether the building fulfilled its purpose, what matters is that it's a brilliant design. Seeing the rooms where soldiers served, the rooms where they rested and slept, and the everyday equipment, we realized how difficult service was in these conditions. After a four-hour walk, the lack of sunlight and blue sky was already taking its toll, sparking our imaginations of how difficult such service was. And if we add to this the sounds echoing across the concrete, bullets striking concrete, explosions, gunfire, ricochets, the smell of gunpowder and poison gases... it becomes an unimaginable nightmare.

For the history and time it represents it tells the story. There is some long walking but information at almost every turn. It is far from an empty shell with displays, explanations and speaking’s with realistic sounds. The feel is that the fort is ready for action at a moments notice…very well done!!

A truly massive underground fortress, be prepared for a VERY long walk, you will be walking 1 kilometre to the last gun emplacement. Fantastic achievement by the French. So much to see and all perfectly preserved, even more tunnels not yet prepared for visiting. Easily a half day to see it all, go by guided tours or, as I did, explore it all yourself. Lots of parking.

Definitely a must visit. Very cool down there so bring a jacket and be prepared to walk a lot since its very big. The museum is without a guide, you have to follow the arrows 1 to 10 and it takes about 2 hours but its definitely worth it to see everything and take your time.

Drive out from Strasbourg and it was a pleasant 50 minute drive. For a history buff, this place was amazing. After paying you can proceed at your own pace throughout the tunnels and exhibits. Although it was cold outside, it was quite pleasant inside. Just amazing engineering for the time.