tomholmes8's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Landrethun-le-Nord, France

Forteresse de Mimoyecques

Underneath a chalk hill in France lies what Hitler hoped would be the underground launching base for a devastating new weapon.
La Rochelle, France

Nazi U-Boat Pens, La Pallise

A massive base for the Nazis' most formidable weapon in the Atlantic.
Cricqueville-en-Bessin, France

Pointe du Hoc

A daring D-Day assault by U.S. Army Rangers is commemorated atop the high cliffs of this strategic point.
Orschwiller, France

Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.
Naours, France

Cité souterraine de Naours (Underground City of Naours)

A centuries-old complex of hand-dug stone chambers has sheltered locals in times of trouble.
Falaise, France

Château de Falaise

The birthplace of the ferocious William the Conqueror, this castle is awash in medieval history.
Fleury-devant-Douaumont, France

Zone Rouge

A swath of France so devastated by war it is still forbidden to go there.
Fontenay-en-Parisis, France

Goussainville-Vieux Pays

The post-apocalyptic remnants of a bucolic town ruined by a plane crash.
Deyme, France

The Abandoned Galleon

The deserted pirate-themed restaurant still entices explorers.
Oppède, France

The Ruins of Oppede-le-Vieux

These medieval ruins have survived since the 12th century, even providing shelter from the Nazis.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

A place to see how French aristocrats lived in the early 1900s.
Saumur, France

Dolmen de Bagneux

A huge Megalithic chamber tomb located behind a cafe.
Coussac-Bonneval, France

Château de Bonneval and The Devils Tower

Legend has it this 11th-century castle was paid a visit from the devil.
Arras, France

Carriere Wellington Tunnels

An underground city of ancient quarry tunnels hid thousands of Allied soldiers in WWI.
La Ferté-sur-Chiers, France

Ouvrage La Ferté

This striking fort on the Maginot Line looks just as it did after being destroyed in the Fall of France.
Salses-le-Château, France

Château de Salses

This castle-fortress is a living example of the transition from medieval defenses to modern fortifications.
Aix-en-Provence, France

Camp des Milles

Now a memorial, this factory was once used as a concentration camp for artists by the Vichy government.
Lovagny, France

Gorges du Fier

A suspended footbridge allows for traversing this gorge carved through the French Alps.
Bourcefranc-le-Chapus, France

Fort Louvois

A castle-like sea fort from the 17th century is now a museum to oyster farming.
Hendaye, France

Château d'Abbadie

The eclectic observatory castle of a 19th-century astronomer and explorer.
Marseille, France

Rove Tunnel

Longest canal tunnel in the world, abandoned in the 1960s.
Saint-Georges-d'Oléron, France

Fort Boyard

Fighting the British and making game shows for over 150 years.
Taingy, France

Carrière d'Aubigny

This former limestone quarry is now a subterranean wonderland of grand stonework.
Vals, France

Église Notre-Dame de Vals (Church of Our Lady of Vals)

A medieval church built into an ancient cave.