Fort Foch

Gazing up at Fort Foch, it’s hard not to feel a sense of history pressing down on you. This imposing fortress, perched on the hillside overlooking Niederhausbergen, northwest of Strasbourg, has witnessed dramatic moments. Fort Foch, originally named Feste Kronprinz by the occupying Prussian forces who built it between 1872 and 1880, wasn’t initially intended for the conflicts it would eventually see. It was part of Strasbourg’s fortified belt, designed as a detached fort in the Biehler style. These forts were meant to create a discontinuous ring around the city, using artillery to control the surrounding area. Fort Foch held a grim significance during World War II. It served as a prisoner of war camp. Yugoslav prisoners, held captive within its walls, left a poignant mark. They created a mural in the fort’s chapel. This mural is now recognized, listed in the supplementary inventory of Historical Monuments. After the war, Fort Foch became a munitions depot. Its purpose was the collection and destruction of leftover explosives. Tragedy struck in 1953. An accidental explosion ripped through the fort, claiming the lives of six workers. A plaque on the fort’s wall and a monument in the municipal cemetery serve as somber reminders of this event. Today, Fort Foch has a more peaceful purpose. It houses the Primatology Unit of the University of Strasbourg. Primates from around the world now reside within the fort’s grounds, living in spacious enclosures. The fort’s former gunpowder magazines have also found a new use. They now store part of the scientific collections of the School and Observatory of Earth Sciences of Strasbourg.