Photo : BunkerLaRochelle / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Le Bunker de La Rochelle
The La Rochelle Bunker is a German shelter built in 1941 in the middle of the town centre, now turned into a museum. It was designed to protect the submarine commanders of the La Rochelle-La Pallice base from bombing, and it remained intact after 1945.
The route, of about 280 m², tells the history of La Rochelle from 1939 to its liberation on 8 May 1945. A renewed museography combines mannequins, many period objects and videos.
The most remarkable room is the submariners' bar. Its walls still bear marine frescoes painted by two civilian women artists from Hamburg, and its panelling has never been dismantled, which makes it a rare case in France.
The visit lasts about 45 minutes. It is aimed at lovers of Second World War history and the curious, but is not necessarily suitable for very young children. The museum has sometimes offered visits in the dark during the Night of Museums, which requires bringing a torch.
