In Plogoff (Finistère), enthusiasts have been clearing a former German bunker for a year, with the idea of making it accessible to the public.
An action that the municipality opposed.
A TF1 team went to the scene.
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Is it necessary to maintain the blockhouses on our coasts? In Plogoff, in Finistère, the question is divisive. For a year, an association of volunteers has been rehabilitating a former German army site located near the Pointe du Raz, with the idea of making it accessible to the public.The first time we came back, it was full of trash and dirt.“, says Stéphanie, a volunteer at the Association for the Rescue of the Historical Heritage of the Men Tan Site (ASPH), in the TF1 news video at the top of this article.
Like her, around thirty volunteers are striving to clear and depollute this disastrous relic of the Second World War. An initiative not to the liking of the municipality, which made this known through the voice of its first deputy in the municipal bulletin.Our ancestors sought rather to bury these horrors which are the symbol and the heritage of the Third Reich (…). Let us not lose our bearings even if the years pass and provoke in some sometimes a partisan and threatening amnesia. Sometimes a dangerous ignorance“, said the elected official, whose comments are reported by our colleagues at the newspaper The Telegram.
It is part, so to speak, of the region’s heritage. So it’s good to rehabilitate it.
A resident of Finistère
In front of our camera, André Marchand also highlights security issues.I don’t know under what conditions they did it. The land may seem normal when it is deeply polluted. They should have had masks and overalls. If there are problems, if someone files a complaint, we will definitely go to the town hall.“, the chosen one says, horrified.
The tours have already begun. In one year, its enthusiasts have already welcomed nearly 2,000 people. The excursion is done by torchlight.
The visitors who came that day seemed won over.”It is part, so to speak, of the region’s heritage. So it’s good to rehabilitate it.“, believes a resident interviewed in our report. Especially since, according to Claude Marzin, the president of the association, one of these blockhouses could have changed the course of history.”There was a radar that was thirty meters by sixteen (…). This radar was put into service in July 1944. It had a range of 350 kilometers, it went as far as the English coast. If it had been put into service a few months earlier, it would have detected the landing.“, maintains this enthusiast.
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Behind this dispute lies the question of war heritage. While some are digging it up, others would prefer to forget it. The association and the municipality of Plogoff have finally reached an agreement after months of clashes. The municipal council of Plogoff voted this Tuesday to legalize the Men Tan construction site, according to an article in TelegramThe site will even be open for the European Heritage Days, which will be held this weekend throughout France.
