Le Grand Canon

" In Zillisheim, a giant from the First World War still slumbers: come and discover the remnants of the formidable 'Kaiser Wilhelm' cannon, a testament to a war of shadows and engineering. "

This site is in fact the location of a "KW" gun of the "Kaiser Wilhelm Geschutze" or "langer Max" type (Max the long) whose mission, during the First World War, was to fire large blasts at Belfort as a diversion during the attacks on Verdun and the forts of Vaux and Douaumont.
Under the forest cover and along the paths, you can discover a multitude of vestiges still visible or legible. Only the "barracks" have disappeared. The buried civil engineering works are rather well preserved. During a guided tour with one of the site's enthusiastic volunteers, you can explore the underground galleries and discover the organisation of this impressive military infrastructure. On a self-guided tour, you can discover the surface infrastructures by following a route marked out with explanatory panels. An app "Site du Grand Canon de Zillisheim" can be downloaded to discover this historic site.