Four à Chaux Fort - Maginot Line

Guardian of the Sauer valley, the Four à Chaux fort overlooks the village of Lembach from a height.

Its name pays tribute to a former lime kiln that has now disappeared.

This underground fort extends 5 kilometers beneath the earth, at a depth of 30 meters.

In 1939, 24 officers and 600 men were stationed there, from fortress infantry, artillery, and engineering regiments. Mobilized before the war, they reached their post at the end of August 1939.

Without combat between September 1939 and May 1940, they organized their daily life and recovered livestock abandoned after the evacuation of Lembach's population.

Visitors can discover their life through the dormitories, sanitary facilities, kitchens, and infirmary still visible today.

In June 1940, the fort endured repeated air attacks by Stukas.

Despite the lack of effective anti-aircraft defense, it resisted five days after the armistice of June 26.

After negotiations in Wiesbaden, the troops had to surrender on July 2 but left with the honors of war.

Later occupied by the Germans, the fort was looted to supply the Atlantic Wall. Overpressure gas tests caused significant damage.

Its unique layout is distinguished by an inclined plan: the men's entrance is 24 meters higher than the ammunition entrance, allowing equipment to be transported via an inclined gallery.