Vault Museum

Located 1 km behind the Maginot Line, the Abri served as a barracks for the casemate crews during the war and contained around 240 beds. 28 rooms have been restored either to their original state or as an exhibition room. You can also discover around the Abri Bunker a large collection of military equipment from 1939 to the present day, a model room, a room dedicated to the "Malgré-Nous" as well as a hall containing exclusively American or German equipment from 1939 to 1945: the scenes evoke the battle of January 1945 in Hatten. German and American fighters clashed in and around the village from January 9 to 21, 1945 during Operation Nordwind launched by Hitler. During this German offensive, Hatten and the neighboring village of Rittershoffen were at the heart of one of the most important tank battles in France, the two villages were destroyed by 85% and there were 83 civilian casualties in Hatten, 31 in Rittershoffen. Outside, on the site of the Museum, the Bois du Souvenir is a place of meditation dedicated to the civilian victims of the battle with its 114 trees, a tribute to the 114 civilian victims of the 2 municipalities. Since 2021, a specially designed room presents part of the collection of the former JOST museum (museum of the DRACHENBRONN Air Base 901).