Musée de l'Abri de Hatten

The House of the Models
« Unique in France ! »

This building houses Mr Robert EHRSTEIN's collection, devoted to French pre-war fortifications ("ouvrages"). Models, maps, outlays and documents date from the beginning of the construction of the Maginot Line in 1928 to the signature of the Armistice in June 1940. They provide a fitting introduction to the other Maginot Line sites in the area.
Most models have been made on a 1:35 scale. They represent various Maginot Line fortifications, casemates and barracks as well as vehicles, loco tractors, train cars and tanks of this period.
The collection enables the visitors to follow the various stages of the construction of the Line and to leisurely visit the different types of "ouvrages" without walking along miles of galleries or climbing up and down stairways. Near the entrance, a scene in a showcase depicts a customs house in 1930 with the German and the French customs-officers, the barrier and a guard checking ID's, a necessary counter-intelligence measure during the construction.
In 2010 the house of the models has been enlarged in way to receive more models. Inauguration took place on 2010 July 20th during the 15th years old museum ceremonies

The various models represent:

- Fortified houses
- An infantry casemate (Koenigsbruck)
- The construction of lookout post (Hatten)
- Obstacles: anti-tank rails, barbed wire entanglements, roadblocks, anti-tank ditches
- A turret with twinned machine guns
- A 75 mm gun turret (1932 model) (Four à Chaux)
- Part of the main gallery of an "ouvrage", with the electric train, and the section showing how the boxes full of shells were transferred to the artillery blocks
- Models showing several parts inside the big "ouvrages"
- ...

Next page: Hall of the "forced draft"