Museum Memories 39-45

Very near the Pointe Saint Mathieu headland, the former German command blockhouse relates the history of the Second World War in Brittany, told by those who lived through it.
It's a strange sight, this concrete fortress planted in the middle of fields... Standing in front of the bay, the gigantic five-storey blockhouse used to defend the command centre of the Graf Spee marine artillery battery, the most significant in Finistère in terms of size and fire-power. Two brothers, Aurélien and Clement, both collectors and keen historians, have turned this German labyrinth into a museum. Illustrated by thousands of objects, documents and photographs from those times, the tour, covering 500 sq.m. of exhibition space, is brought to life by witness accounts and anecdotes. It leads you down into the fortress, and it plunges you deep into the lives of the soldiers of the Atlantic Wall and into the memories of civilians caught up in the suffering. Through to the bloody days of the liberation. From the terrace, the beautiful panoramic views over the Iroise Sea are a reminder of the strategic position occupied by the military engineering works.