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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The List factory, located in Rhineau, Lower Rhine, was built between 1941 and 1942 by the Berlin-based company Heinrich List, specialized in military electrotechnics. Designed by architect Ernst Neufert in Bauhaus style, it produced equipment for the Luftwaffe, the Army and the German Navy, including components for the V1 and V2 missiles. The factory employed up to 2,000 workers, including Alsatians, Dutch, Italians and Russians living in neighbouring camps. Its expansion was overseen by Albert Speer's staff, with aborted worker city projects for 10,000 workers.

At its peak in 1944, the factory operated 60 to 65 hours a week under the command of the Strasbourg Armament. Local labour was partially exempted from mobilization to maintain production. As the Allies approached, some of the Alsatian machinery and workers were evacuated to Germany in November 1944, without destroying the installations. After the war, the site was taken over in 1948 by the Filature de Rhinau, before being abandoned in the 1950s.

The main building, made of reinforced concrete and red bricks, is 157 m long and is distinguished by its glazed strips and vertical forerails that hold administrative functions. Two workers' pavilions, built in 1942, complete the whole. Ranked a historic monument in 2009, the site also includes the outdoor boiler room. Today, the 15 hectares of the old factory remain empty, testifying to its industrial and military past.

The architecture of the List factory reflects the principles of rationalisation of the Bauhaus, with a clear separation of workspaces and logistics functions. Its history illustrates the economic exploitation of Alsace under occupation, as well as the difficult conversion of industrial sites after 1945. The presence of foreign workers and the production of weapons make it a symbol of the geopolitical stakes of the time.

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