Forteresse de Mimoyecques

Over het museum

The Mimoyecques fortress is a wholly underground structure dug into the chalk of the northern Boulonnais. It was meant to house the “super cannon V3”, a multi-chamber weapon intended to bombard London. Its code names were “Wiese” and “Bauwerk 711”. From 1943 to the summer of 1944, more than a thousand men, largely forced laborers of many origins, dug a network of galleries serving five firing shafts with five guns each, which were supposed to launch 1,500 shells a day.

On July 6, 1944, Tallboy bombs dropped by the 617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force hit the heart of the structure, ending the threat. The Germans abandoned the site a few weeks later, and in May 1945 the British blew up the fortress so that it could no longer serve as a military base.

Opened as a museum in 1984 by private owners, the fortress was bought in 2008 by the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels and reopened to the public in 2010. From mid-April to mid-October, the Communauté de communes de la Terre des 2 Caps handles visitor reception. For the rest of the year the site is closed so that the bats can hibernate: the galleries are one of the main hibernation sites for bats north of Paris, which is why the site was classified as a regional nature reserve.

Hoogtepunten

• Underground galleries of the V3 cannon base
• World War II memorial site in the chalk of the Boulonnais
• Regional nature reserve and bat hibernation site
• One-hour guided tours
• Educational booklet for children

Vaste collectie

• Galeries de la forteresse – Visit of the underground galleries of the V3 cannon base and of the chalk quarry face.

Opgericht

1984

Beheerder

Communauté de communes de la Terre des 2 Caps

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices published by the site for the 2025 season. Free entry with the Pass éducation. Payment by bank card, cheque, cash or ANCV tickets.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The fortress is described as accessible to visitors with reduced mobility; the team can provide information in advance. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are admitted into the galleries; other animals are not. The temperature in the galleries does not exceed 10 °C.

Kinderen & gezin

• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour

Family rate for 2 adults and 1 to 5 children. An educational booklet to complete during the visit is sold for €1 for children.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The fortress lies between Landrethun-le-Nord and Leubringhen, 20 minutes from Boulogne-sur-Mer via the A16 (exit 36) and 20 minutes from Calais via the A16 (exit 38). Signposted route from Marquise, Saint-Inglevert, Landrethun-le-Nord and Leubringhen.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Area with tables and chairs for a break: cakes, ice cream, hot and cold drinks. Picnic area within the grounds. Shop with local products, souvenirs, books and a guide to the fortress for €4.50.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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