Base Sous Marine (Submarine Base), Bordeaux

To the northern outskirts of Bordeaux's historic city center rests a haunting relic from one of the city's most somber epochs. Echoing the broader history of France, this place bore witness to the occupation by Nazi Germany during the tumultuous years of the Second World War. Alongside the Garonne river stands a substantial quay, upon which the invaders erected a solid foundation to shelter their fleet of Atlantic submarines.

The decision to establish Submarine Base in Bordeaux was guided by its strategic coastal position and its separation from the major battlefronts further north. Initially designated to house Italian submarines, the base underwent significant expansion and fortification under Nazi control.

The sheer magnitude of this facility is nearly beyond comprehension: it spans across an expanse of 43,000 square meters, all concealed beneath a 9-meter-thick ceiling. Encompassing its construction were 600,000 cubic meters of concrete, a substantial portion of which was toiled over by prisoners of war from Spain and Portugal. A memorial commemorating those who perished stands as a stark testament to the mercilessness of the Nazi regime.

Although the Allied forces wrested control of the base in 1944, obliterating all U-boats and submarines, the structure itself endures. Presently, it occasionally serves local yachtsmen as a site for repairs, casting a forlorn and eerie presence. In stark contradistinction to the resplendent churches of the city center, this decaying edifice nonetheless remains an integral chapter in Bordeaux's intricate history.