Ostheim, France

Struthof Concentration Camp

Before leaving the France area, Gary really wanted to see a concentration camp. It was a worthwhile trip, although it really makes you think about this part of our history.

Natzweiler-Struthof was a German concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains close to the Alsatian village

of Natzwiller (German Natzweiler) in France, and the town of Schirmeck, about 50 km south west from the city of Strasbourg.

Natzweiler-Struthof was the only concentration camp established by the Nazis on present-day French territory, though there were French-run temporary camps such as the one at Drancy. At the time, the Alsace-Lorraine area in which it was established had been annexed by Germany as an integral part of the German Reich, unlike other parts of France.

The memorial to the departed at Natzweiler-Struthof Concentration Camp in Alsace.

Natzweiler-Struthof was operational between May 21, 1941 until the beginning of September 1944 when the SS evacuated the camp intoDachau. Its construction was overseen by Hans Hüttig. The camp was evacuated and sent on a "Death march" on early September 1944 with only a small SS unit keeping the camp's operations, and on November 23, 1944, discovered and liberated by American Allies as the first concentration camp in Western Europe.

The ash pit memorial

This was the old clock bell tower across the street from our hotel.

Beautiful but very loud early in the morning.

This is a stork that walks around the campground where Hansjoerg and Silke stayed.

The stork did eat the bread.....Unik (Han's dog) did not like this.

A monument outside our hotel in Ostheim with a stork's nest on top.

This was a stork's nest on top of a monument outside our hotel in France.

Storks are all around this area.

The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. Staufenberg, as it was called at the time, sat high above the Alsace plain at an altitude of more than 700 metres. This rocky, promontory site was ideal for observing the main routes in the region, and provided a strategic fall-back point. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsbourg (royal castle) in around 1192.

The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire. This was the golden period for the Hohkoenigsbourg ("Hoh" meaning… "High"!)

La Voleria des Aigles

The “Volerie des Aigles” in Kintzheim (the Eagle Park) offers a thrilling and impressive experience: see the world's largest birds of prey flying freely at the ruins of the castle of Kintzheim. This visit offers a unique occasion to get a first-hand look at these majestic birds, which are normally impossible to approach out in the wild. In this mediaeval setting, some of the world's finest birds of prey fly just a few centimetres away from the general public. A visit guaranteed to delight children and parents alike! The visit includes a captivating aerial show as you watch the acrobatic stunts performed by the black kites, the soaring flight of the buzzards and vultures, not to mention a chance to meet the Andean condor. This is also an educational experience, accompanied by narration to help the visitor to better understand the behaviour of these majestic birds.

One of the birds in the show.