Natzweiler-Struthoff and the Alsace

Heading into the Alsace wine region gave us a pretty and nicely undulating couple of days ride through vineyards and little villages, however my main motivation for wanting to head this way was a wish to visit France's only concentration camp from when the country was under the Nazi regime. I think it is strange wanting to visit and the fact that this concentration camp has been preserved as a museum. Why do people come to see a place which commemorates the cruelty we are capable of? It seems so macabre and almost disrespectful to make it a tourist outing. Yet I think it is very important we remember for the sake of those who died and I want to say to prevent such atrocities – yet it still happens...

We based ourselves in one of the route de vin villages called Obernai. Lovely camping (and cheap) with free WIFI. The concentration camp was a ~50km cycle from the camping that we set out to under blue skies. The 800m climb to the site over 10km was suitably arduous despite our bikes being unloaded. The Natzweiler-Struthoff site was specifically chosen for the location of pink granite nearby that was quarried by the internees. We cycled past the entrance to the quarry with a sign (in French) asking people to not picnic, play games etc. in order to respect the memory of those who died there. We watched with interest the campervan with a D numberplate (all European vechiles have a letter indicating their nationality ie. F for French, NL for Dutch - fun to use to figure out neighbours at the campsite), pull up and have their lunch. Maybe the sign needed translating.

The site had a large new museum in an ominous black bunker shaped building that gave a description of the other concentration camps with the history of each camp. There was a further display on the development of WWII and the Nazis which we read through the crowds of French and German school kids. All very interesting. What I found most dramatic and poignant was the actual site. Built onto terraces in the steep slope were slate grey huts contrasting sharply against the bright green grass and blue skies. Only 4 huts have been preserved with further displays trying to illustrate what life was like in the camp. There were also solitary confinement cells, crematorium and ash pit. The French have a lot of memorials to their resistance fighters. Concentration camps I always associate with the persecution of the Jews. This camp seems to have held mainly political prisoners and resistance fighters that I forget were also tortured out of personhood with shaved heads, numbers for names, cruelty and death.

At 3pm we left the museum having yet to have lunch and a further 30km to cycle back. Both of us felt we needed to get away from the site before we were able to eat - a funny reaction since by the museum it seemed like it was ok to eat yet I couldn't bring myself to fill my belly in sight of those huts.

We finished our stay in Obernai with a day trip (by train) to Strasbourg with a wander to the EU parliament site (not that impressive – fits with what Lonely Planet describes as an “ineffectual”government). We had a large meal out with me ordering what I thought was the full portion of sauerkraut (my thighs needed the energy after the previous days climb). 4 sausages, a chunk of ham and pate with a large plate of cabbage later, I was glad to realise I had been given the half portion.

Onwards to from Alsace we headed to Lorraine and more remnants of wars.