Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp Monument

Address: Struthof, 67140 Natzwiller, Grand Est, France

Website: https://www.struthof.fr/

Natzweiler-Struthof was a Nazi concentration camp established in 1941 on territory that is now part of France’s Grand Est region. It was run by the SS and used for forced labour, detention of political prisoners and other deported groups during World War II.

The camp complex included prisoner barracks, a small on-site crematorium and satellite labour camps; prisoners were deported from many parts of occupied Europe. After the war the site was preserved and later developed into a memorial and museum documenting the camp’s history and commemorating victims.

The memorial today contains preserved foundations, interpretive exhibits and a cemetery for victims; guided visits and educational programmes are available to explain the chronology and the individual stories of those detained there. The site is a principal location for remembrance and research into Nazi crimes in Western Europe.

The camp is located in the Vosges foothills of northeastern France near the village of Natzwiller, within Grand Est; it sits inland from the Rhine plain, accessible by regional roads from nearby towns and cities.

• Memorial status: Established by the SS during World War II on present-day French territory, the site now serves as a national memorial and museum documenting forced labour, medical experiments and the camp system in Western Europe.

What to See#

• Camp remains and site: The preserved camp grounds and foundation ruins where barracks, watchtowers and prisoner blocks stood during the camp’s operation in the 1940s.
• Museum and memorial: An on-site museum and memorial complex that documents the camp’s history, victim lists and archaeological findings, with a visitor centre at the entrance to the memorial area.

The Natzweiler‑Struthof memorial (Natzwiller, Grand Est) is reached by road from Strasbourg or Colmar. By car take the A35 corridor south from Strasbourg then regional/D roads toward Natzwiller - the drive from Strasbourg is roughly 45-70 km depending on route (about an hour). Regional trains reach larger towns such as Sélestat or Rothau; from those towns local buses or taxis cover the short final distance to the memorial (check current TER and regional bus timetables).

• Start your visit to Natzweiler‑Struthof at the on-site museum and visitor center to get historical context before walking the outdoor memorials and ruins.
• Visit early in the morning or on a weekday to avoid coach-group crowds and to allow time for quiet reflection at the crematorium ruins and memorials.
• Check the site's official website for opening hours, guided-tour times and any temporary exhibitions-many visitors skip the modern contextual exhibitions in the museum, which provide essential background to the outdoor site.