Bordeaux was, during the Second World War, a strategic hub for the occupier, thanks to its major port and its Atlantic access.
It was also a prime target for the Allies, aiming to stop and break a well-settled Nazi invader. That is why, in autumn 43, fortified air-raid shelters and blockhouses were built in Bordeaux (or rather beneath Bordeaux):
- Place Pey-Berland
- Place du 11 Novembre
- Allées de Tourny
- at the corner of rue Rase and the quays
- in Bacalan
…so as to store weapons and ammunition, protect the troops… etc…
Nothing was missing inside, of course nothing comparable to a starred hotel, but water, electricity and some conveniences were there…
A carefully studied setup to withstand a siege.
At the Liberation, a demolition programme was launched, a big clean-up to erase the remains of a time everyone preferred to forget. The works took long because the use of explosives was banned in the city, and the bunkers had to be brought down « by hand ».
It was in 1947 that these demolition works were completed.
