Le Bunker De La Rochelle

La Rochelle is a historic port city on France's Atlantic coast, known for its medieval towers, maritime heritage, and stunning Old Port. During World War II, La Rochelle took on a crucial role as a strategic submarine base for German U-boats, which caused chaos to the Allies' Atlantic supply lines.

German forces installed significant infrastructure to ensure this effort continued uninterrupted. Massive, heavily fortified U-boat pens housed the vessels. In central La Rochelle, a top-secret bunker was constructed to protect third flotilla submariners and officers from intense Allied bombing as they rested between their devastating missions.

Installed below the former Hôtel des Étrangers, the 3,000-square-foot bunker was completed in utter secrecy and went into operation in October 1941. It had bomb-proof, reinforced concrete walls and featured large rooms, a bar, offices, and toilets.

The bunker's bar and nightclub are perhaps the most remarkable. It's where war-weary German sailors could kick back and enjoy drinks and entertainment. When you consider the average survival rate of a German submariner was six weeks, this may have been one of the last moments of joy they'd experience.

To lighten the oppressive atmosphere, two renowned interior decorators, Cher and Mon, came to paint a series of whimsical nautical murals on the bunker's walls and bulkheads, which visitors can still enjoy today.

The bunker remained in use until the city's liberation in 1945, after which it was sealed and forgotten. Hotel owner Jean-Luc Labour rediscovered it in 1982 during the hotel's redevelopment and opened it as the Rochelais Museum of the Last War from 1984 to 1994.

The hotel has since been demolished and replaced by apartments. The bunker was similarly redeveloped in 2012 and opened to the public in May 2013 as an important reminder of La Rochelle's wartime history.