Construction by Germany automne 1915 (≈ 1915)
Platform and gun *Langer Max* installed.
février-octobre 1916
Use of gun
Use of gun février-octobre 1916 (≈ 1916)
Belfort bombardment, 44 shells fired.
1er septembre 1920
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 1er septembre 1920 (≈ 1920)
First 20th century protected vestige in France.
1924
Initial restoration
Initial restoration 1924 (≈ 1924)
Work on post-war platform.
1974
Resumption of maintenance
Resumption of maintenance 1974 (≈ 1974)
Volunteer intervention for preservation.
2020
Associate management
Associate management 2020 (≈ 2020)
Association responsible for site maintenance.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Platform and adjoining buildings of room 380 which fired from the Zillisheim area on Belfort during the First War: classification by order of 1 September 1920
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character named in the sources
The texts do not cite any individual actors.
Origin and history
The platform of room 380, located in the forest of Zillisheim (High Rhine), is a historic monument built in 1915 by the German Empire during the First World War. Equipped with a 380 mm marine gun nicknamed Langer Max, it was used to bomb Belfort and Wesserling, French strategic targets. Despite limited use (44 shells fired, 14 victims), it was classified in 1920, becoming the first vestige of the Great Protected War in France, and the first historical monument of the twentieth century.
The infrastructure consists of a surface battery platform, now without its cannon, and an underground network of one hectare including barracks and ammunition stores. The entrances, scattered in the forest, are accessible to visitors. The platform, restored in 1924 and then abandoned until 1974, has since been maintained by volunteers and then by an association from 2020. Its state reflects the challenges of preserving the military remains, while at the same time testifying to the German engineering of the time.
The cannon, manufactured by Krupp, disappeared after the war, but the galleries and the platform remained as a symbol of Franco-German conflicts in Alsace. The early classification of the site highlights its heritage importance, marking a break with traditional monuments (castles, churches) to include modern remains related to military history. Today, the site offers a tangible testimony of the artillery strategies of 1914-1918 and their impact on local populations, especially in Belfort, targeted by fire.
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