- Title: French man turns huge WW2 German bunker into B&B
- Date: 23rd August 2021
- Summary: SAINT-PABU, FRANCE (AUGUST 19, 2021) (REUTERS) BAR SEEN FROM LIVING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (French) 52-YEAR-OLD BUNKER OWNER, SERGE COLLIOU, SAYING: "What is nice is to now be able to spend time here, to have dinner, to spend a night and things like this. So we adapted (the bunker) while preserving a certain feel. We wanted to give the building a second life, so we are not going to live in the past forever. We saved some aspects, you know where you are, there are historic cues, but this isn't a museum either." HELMETS AND MACHINE GUN COPY HELMET AND FAKE BULLETS LAMPAUL-PLOUARZEL, FRANCE (AUGUST 19, 2021) (REUTERS) BUNKER ON BEACH VIEW OF BEACH FROM BUNKER DRONE FOOTAGE OF DUNES, BEACH AND TIPPED OVER ARTILLERY PLATFORM DRONE FOOTAGE OF TIPPED OVER ARTILLERY PLATFORM FORMER BUNKER EXPLORER AND PIONEER OF 'BUNKER ARCHAEOLOGY' WHO STARTED DIGGING UP BUNKERS IN THE 1980S, HERVE FARRANT, WALKING FARRANT WALKING UP TO ARTILLERY PLATFORM (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORMER BUNKER EXPLORER AND PIONEER OF 'BUNKER ARCHAEOLOGY' WHO STARTED DIGGING UP BUNKERS IN THE 1980S, HERVE FARRANT, SAYING: "Tens of artillery platforms such as this one have been built. They will disappear eventually and we should preserve the most beautiful specimens. That is what has been going on for a few years now, be it in Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle or Brest (cities on the French Atlantic coast), in Le Conquet (nearby town) or like with what Serge (Colliou) did. We are starting to preserve those famous bunkers and it is a good thing, but we cannot save them all. That is where the problem lies. They are everywhere, just around here there must be around 200 bunkers, you see."
- Embargoed: 6th September 2021 11:48
- Keywords: Atlantic Wall Brittany German Nazi Germany WW2 World War Two blockhaus bunker fortifications history
- Location: SAINT-PABU, LAMPAUL-PLOUARZEL, LE PORTZIC AND PLOUGONVELIN, BRITTANY, FRANCE
- City: SAINT-PABU, LAMPAUL-PLOUARZEL, LE PORTZIC AND PLOUGONVELIN, BRITTANY, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA007ERI1T8N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A bunker built by German troops in northern France during World War Two has been given an unlikely new lease of life as an underground guesthouse, welcoming history buffs and visitors after remaining buried for years.
France's northern coast, including in Brittany and Normandy, is still strewn with fortifications left behind by the German army, which built up a so-called Atlantic Wall to try and fend off Allied Forces after invading France in 1940.
In Saint-Pabu, on the Breton seaside, concrete bunkers are half buried along the sandy beaches, in an area that once operated as a radar station to detect planes.
Serge Colliou, a bunker enthusiast, bought up a plot of land in the area, and spent 18 months digging out and renovating the 400 square metre bunker, turning it fully-functioning rental, complete with a bar area and cosy living room.
Nods to the war are present throughout the space, with memorabilia like helmets and reproductions of guns, although Colliou said he did not want to go overboard to allow guests to enjoy it for parties too.
"We adapted (the bunker) while preserving a certain feel," Colliou said. "We wanted to give the building a second life, so we are not going to live in the past forever. We saved some aspects, you know where you are, there are historic cues, but this isn't a museum either."
French visitors and foreigners including Germans have stayed as guests, after the bunker opened for rent a year ago, Colliou added. The site, now in a residential area and surrounded by houses and gardens close to the coast, was once operated by 30 men in the German airforce or Luftwaffe.
A night in the L479 bunker costs 320 euros (375 U.S. Dollars) a night for 6 people and a second floor can be opened to welcome up to 20 guests for 1100 euros (1289 U.S. Dollars) a night.
Some local mayors in France have looked to remove remains such as bunkers on beaches, in part as they can occasionally pose a danger to bathers. Some of the fortifications may be preserved for historical reasons, however, including in areas such as Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle and Brest, and restored.
"We are starting to preserve those famous bunkers and it is a good thing, but we cannot save them all," said Herve Farrant, a bunker specialist and author who began to explore the structures in the 1980s.
(Production: Manuel Ausloos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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