La Coupole

La Coupole

Situated 60 km from Boulogne sur Mer and 5 km from Saint Omer, La Coupole is one of the most impressive ruins of the Second World War in Europe. Because of its overwhelming mass, the underground nature of its facilities, by the suffering of forced laborers who built it, it is a symbol of the Nazi oppression.

This huge bunker, built by the Todt Organisation in 1943-1944, was to be the launch base, against London, of V2 rockets. Developed in the ultra-secret center of Peenemünde by the Von Braun team, these missiles were the most innovative equipment developed during the Second World War.

Heavily bombed by the Allies, La Coupole was abandoned in summer 1944, after the Normandy landings. The V2 rockets, which struck London and Antwerp in September 1944, were launched from the Netherlands.

Since 1997, this place turned into a History and Remembrance Centre, has welcomed over 1.7 million visitors and is must-see in Nord-Pas-de-Calais.