Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Junkers Flugzeug-und-Motorenwerke A.G. factory in Strasbourg, built in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century, is an emblematic vestige of the Nazi war industry. Located at 33 rue du Maréchal-Lefebvre, it was built in 1941 on the former site of the Émile Mathis automobile factory, requisitioned from the beginning of the Second World War. The two modular buildings, designed for aircraft engine test benches, illustrate a typical functional architecture, with brick walls and sound traps. Only one of the two buildings, the Werk M, was completed and used until 1951.

The site employed up to 3,500 people during the war as part of aircraft production for the Luftwaffe. After 1945, the test benches were decommissioned and then reused from 1978 by a construction equipment rental company (Sirco-Locarest). The factory, partially demolished (unfinished building and cooling towers), was classified as Historic Monument in 1993 for its architectural and historical interest. Traces of infiltration and original installations (rails, port systems) remain, reflecting its industrial past.

The Junkers factory is part of a wider network of Alsatian sites operated by Nazi Germany, including a weapons production unit in Illkirch-Graffenstaden. Its modular design, allowing unlimited extension in theory, reflects the logistical needs of the war. Materials (armed concrete, hollow stone bricks for sound insulation) and the central distribution structure recall the industrial standards of the time. Today, the privately owned building remains a symbol of requisitions and forced collaboration under occupation.

Prior to its conversion into a war factory, the site belonged to Émile Mathis, an Alsatian auto pioneer. The requisition by Junkers, a firm based in Dessau (Germany), marked a turning point in its history, transforming a civilian factory into a strategic military complex. The 1944 bombings saved the Werk M, allowing its post-war use by the Arsenal of French aeronautics. The archives also mention an electric transformer and a railway branch, key elements of its industrial operation.

Registration for Historic Monuments in 1993 highlighted the heritage value of this site, despite its controversial link with the Nazi regime. Studies such as Dominique Toursel-Harster (1996) document his role in the German war effort and its unique architecture. Today, although closed to the public, the building bears witness to the industrial and political dynamics of Alsace under occupation, between repression, technical innovation and painful heritage.

External links