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In 1914, the 254-hectare (630-acre) fort comprised 50 buildings, with an underground space of approximately 40,000 square meters (400,000 square feet). With 22 turrets equipped with 10 cm and 15 cm howitzers at a maximum rate of fire of 6.5 tons of shells per minute, Mutzig was one of the
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The fortifications comprise three main portions. The newest section, and the place used for tours, is located in the northwestern fort. The 1895 west fort is located somewhat to the south, and the eastern fort about one kilometer to the east of the western fort. Together they comprise a
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sites in existence. This enormous site, which retains almost all its original equipment, has been under a process of restoration by a joint German–French group since 1984 and in 1995 a Museum was opened to the public together with some restored areas of the site. Local
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After the Second World War the fortress was used by the French Army for exercises up until the 1960s when it was abandoned but remained in the possession of the military. As the fortress never saw substantial military action, it remains one of the best preserved
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During the Second World War the fortress was occupied for a time by German artillery and infantry regiments but on June 13, 1940 forces were ordered to evacuate the area and all the guns were decommissioned. Despite this, it was later bombed by the German
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were installed, while Mutzig was the first German fort with its own electricity generating plant. It also was equipped with a radio link to
Strasbourg, infantry shelters and underground living quarters. Costs were estimated at 15 million marks.
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The western fort, built in 1895, was built of concrete from the beginning, while the 1893 eastern fort, which had been built in masonry, was reinforced and covered in concrete. Armored observation points and 150mm
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Three concrete barracks for the garrison and 18 concrete shelters for infantry were provided, along with four wells, bakeries and other support facilities distributed around the fortification.
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strongest forts in Europe. 8,000 troops of the German army manned the defenses of
Strasbourg at the time. Forces were disposed in the ring of forts around Strasbourg, as well as the
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It was the first new fortification built in what was then German territory after the invention of high explosives, which rendered earlier masonry fortifications obsolete.
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took the fortress, which was then thinly occupied by German forces who were forced to surrender after a short time for want of ordnance and reinforcements.
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of 1918, with the exception of about half of its 105 mm guns, salvaged in 1917 by the
Germans. The French Army designated Mutzig a rear defense of the
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groups also make use of the fortress. Since 2014 the fortress has been known by its original name, the Kaiser
Wilhelm II fortress.
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14 x 105 mm guns in turrets, of two models, with a range of up to 13,000 metres (43,000 ft)
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was in fact in the fortress at the time and more than 70 German soldiers were killed in the
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12 armored observation points, two with periscopes, and 7 infantry observation positions
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when it was suspected that French troops had taken possession. However, part of the
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8 x 150 mm howitzers in turrets with a range of 8,500 metres (27,900 ft)
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Fort de Mutzig was part of a network of forts surrounding
Strasbourg and
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Location of the Fort de Mutzig and the fortified belt of
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that had been built by the
Germans after the end of the
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398:Wehrmacht's 215th Infantry Division
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483:. Fort de Mutzig. Archived from
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340:The fort's armament included:
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543:World War I museums in France
372:had been captured during the
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481:"Technical specifications"
409:US Third Infantry Division
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301:Tunnel in Fort de Mutzig
221:Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II
427:historical reenactment
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293:Battery No.1 at Mutzig
116:48.547778°N 7.461389°E
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518:at Chemins de mémoire
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158:Yes, not in totality
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374:Franco-Prussian War
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238:. It is one of the
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454:"Fort Mutzig (67)"
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163:Site history
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285:Description
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95:Coordinates
532:Categories
491:9 February
460:9 February
433:References
388:frontier.
248:Strasbourg
232:department
104:48°32′52″N
46:Strasbourg
394:Luftwaffe
382:Armistice
242:built by
227:, in the
198:commander
183:Materials
107:7°27′41″E
404:attack.
370:Lorraine
275:howitzer
229:Bas-Rhin
206:Garrison
364:History
335:Belfort
278:turrets
257:Concept
244:Germany
196:Current
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148:Germany
312:, 1914
236:France
225:Mutzig
50:Bruche
31:France
402:Stuka
386:Rhine
319:Feste
168:Built
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493:2010
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215:The
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132:Type
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