THE MEMORY OF THE BUNKERS — THE FINEST MURALS OF THE ATLANTIC WALL

The bunkers of the Atlantic Wall have not yet revealed all their secrets. It is known that they formed an integral part of a gigantic fortification built along the coastlines of occupied Europe to prevent any landing by the liberating Allied Forces. It is known that this Wall, reputed to be impenetrable, was breached amid the thunder of arms on a morning in June 1944. Its historical role was then over. What remains of these bunkers, built by the thousands in great haste? Deserted, abandoned to their fate, looted, covered in graffiti, they line our shores like so many useless and unsightly milestones. For some, they are indeed the last witnesses of a harsh era, one that should be forgotten and therefore destroyed. For others, they are the familiar landmarks of our summer walks, to be climbed or cautiously explored. Few of us regard them as a historical heritage worth protecting and explaining. A vast debate. For now, their exploration reveals many surprises. Numerous murals still stubbornly adorn their walls. Left behind by the soldiers who once occupied them, these frescoes tell of their daily life, reveal their innermost thoughts, glorify their feats of arms and stigmatize their enemies. Taken together, all these murals bear witness in their own way to a turbulent and complex past that belongs, whatever one may say, to our shared History. Illustrated with 650 photographs and documents, this book invites readers to discover this remarkable Bunker Art, through a long walk that takes us along the coasts of the Netherlands, Belgium, the Channel Islands and our beautiful France.