GOING BACK IN TIME #3

The village of Mutzig is idyllic.  Surrounded by vineyards & fields, dotted with gorgeous old buildings, it oozes warmth & charm.  It seems a quiet little, out of Strasbourg place,  that no one would really think of as significant in the global picture.  The perfect place to bring up a family.

That was what I thought...until we were taken to the Mutzig Fort. 

When I think of 'fort's', I think iron age or medieval, so imagine my surprise when I was informed that we were about to explore...with the help of a French speaking guide, the biggest modern fort of WW1.

It's hard to believe that this peaceful scene hides a structure that covers 254 hectares & was designed to support a staff of 7000 men underground for 3 months.

We walked through a section of the trenches, before coming to our entry point.

Once through the doors of this solid concrete structure, we would be underground for the next 2 hours.

The tunnels were constructed much like the arches of a Romanesque Church.  I don't understand much French, so this tour was....well....a little difficult for me to maintain focus.  However, with the camera in hand, I noticed things like the play of light on the concrete bricks, the dripping of salt damp & the patterns electric wires made across the ceiling! I had a wonderful time.

My beloved interpreters grabbed my attention here.  I could see for myself that this was a bunk room, housing 24 men.  It was adjoined to another room, also equipped for bunks for another 24 men.  What I learnt was that...

...this one tap & basin (hiding in my shadow in this photo), was the ONLY means of personal hygiene for these 48 men.  The sign above is in German, & requests that the men keep this basin clean!  The Germans built this because Alsace was German then. (1893) Poor Alsace has been French one minute, German the next & French again ...backwards & forwards for centuries.

For a compound of 7000 men, there was ONE operating room.  It was very basic & the guide pointed out the light currently illuminating the space. This fort was the first to have electricity, telephones & a primitive form of airconditioning.  So this operating room had electric light, but it was still not very strong!  Imagine the pressure on the operating Dr to get it right!!!!!

This kitchen was fascinating, because this giant cooking pot was for the specific purpose of cooking Chacroute (Sauerkraut's cousin.) This pot had to be installed as the fort was being built & the kitchen was built up around it, because it couldn't be flat packed!  Chacroute was an important source of vitamin C for the men who worked here.

This fort was built for defense & it never actually saw any action...until WW2.  It was such a relief to get out into the fresh air again, before we went under again, at ground level this time to one of the single person guard houses.  This is all I could see.

For many years after WW2 this place was just left & as a result wild flowers started to return here, including a very rare orchard that only grows here now.  When this little treasure is due to appear, the grass is not cut until after it has flowered.

Quite poignantly, amidst the long grass & beautiful wild flowers, we saw the biggest red poppies we've ever seen.

I'm not a 'war' person.  I cant fathom why people feel the need to kill others ...whatever the reason.  If I'd realised what sort of fort it was, I probably wouldn't have made the effort to go.  However, I am very glad I had this experience & I am in total awe of the engineers who thought this massive construction out.  The thought that went into it's design was truly impressive.