Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique shell platform is a 20th-century military vestige built by German forces during the First World War. It served as a base for a 300 mm heavy artillery piece capable of firing projectiles at a distance of 35 to 40 km. This type of facility illustrates the strategic importance of the region, located close to the front, and the power of weapons deployed during the conflict.

The site is composed of a concrete platform, designed to withstand the shell's retreat during fire. Around this main structure, there are still the remains of two blockhouses and a wharf used to unload ammunition. These elements demonstrate the logistical and defensive organization put in place to ensure the operation of this long-range weapon.

Classified as historical monuments in 1922, this platform is a rare and preserved example of the German military infrastructure of the Great War in France. Its ranking reflects its heritage interest, both in its role in the history of conflict and in its technical and architectural value. Today, it offers concrete testimony to the military technologies and strategies of the time.

Located in the forest of Coucy-Basse, in the department of Aisne, the platform is located precisely at the 8 Chemin Rural so-called Bertha. This wooded, once strategic, framework is now a place of memory accessible to the public, although practical information on visits remains limited in available sources.

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