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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Hauts-de-France
  4. Aisne
  5. 02880 Margival

  6. Fortified camp says Wolfschlucht 2 or W 2

Fortified camp says Wolfschlucht 2 or W 2 dans l'Aisne

Aisne

Fortified camp says Wolfschlucht 2 or W 2

    Route Sans Nom
    02880 Margival
Camp fortifié dit Wolfschlucht 2 ou W 2
Camp fortifié dit Wolfschlucht 2 ou W 2
Camp fortifié dit Wolfschlucht 2 ou W 2
Camp fortifié dit Wolfschlucht 2 ou W 2
Crédit photo : TCY - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
mai 1945
German capitulation
5 février 2014
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
2e quart du XXe siècle
Construction of camp

Heritage classified

The German buildings of the Second World War of the fortified camp corresponding to its internal perimeter, comprising the blockhouses 1 to 22 according to the German numbering and the floors up to the fences of the camp, in accordance with the plan attached to the decree (cf. B 302, 339, 340, 377, 392, 1032, 1033, 1036 to 1038, 1042, 1043 - Blockhouse Nos. 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14 are positioned on Parcel 1037; Blockhouse Nos. 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are positioned on Parcel 1043 -; Neuville-sur-Margival A 392, 398, 399, 453, 455, 464, 842, 845, 846, 937, 941, 964, 966, 967, 968, 972, 973, 975, 976 - Blockhouse No. 2 is positioned on Parcel 392, Blockhouse No. 4 is positioned on Parcel 966, Blockhouse No. 3 is positioned on Parcel 968 -; Margival A 315, 321, 389, 400, 422, 423, 431, 432, 924, 928, 929, 1113-1116 - Blockhouses Nos. 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 are positioned on Parcel 1116 -): inscription by order of 5 February 2014

Key figures

Adolf Hitler - Führer of the Third Reich Linked to strategic area *Sperrkreis I*.

Origin and history

The W2 fortified camp, also known as Wolfschlucht 2, is the second largest of its kind built by Nazi Germany. Located near Margival in Aisne, it served as headquarters at the Führer during the Second World War. At the surrender of the Wehrmacht in May 1945, it was the only such site still intact in Europe, bearing witness to the military and political organization of the Hitler regime.

The inside perimeter of the camp, corresponding to the present preserved site, consists of 38 works, of which 22 (numbered 1-22) date back to the war. It was divided into two prohibited areas: Sperrkreis I, a strategic core directly linked to Hitler, and Sperrkreis II, which housed command, administration, troops and stewardship. These structures illustrate the logistical and symbolic importance of the site for the German occupation in France.

Listed as a Historic Monument in 2014, Camp W2 protects Blockhouses 1-22, their floors and fences, spread over the municipalities of Margival, Laffaux and Neuville-sur-Margival. Although a mixed property (municipal and private), it remains a major place of memory, marking the architectural and historical footprint of the Third Reich in Picardia. Its preservation allows us to study the mechanisms of power and occupation during the conflict.

The location of the site, between Laon and Soissons, reflects a geographical strategy to control the north-south axes. Today, the W2 invites a reflection on the material traces of totalitarian regimes, while raising the question of their re-appropriation. Its state of conservation makes it a rare testimony, between collective memory and issues of historical transmission.

External links

Page Monumentum