Walks in the forest hold many surprises, particularly in our Lorraine forests with regard to the remains of the two world wars.

Thus the constructions of the Maginot Line, this line of defense which was to be THE bulwark of France after the First World War, are numerous and the shelter of Gros-Bois near Rochonvillers.

In recent years, this shelter has been rediscovered. In 2011, he had fled under tons of vegetation, there, like everywhere, nature, which does not like emptiness, had regained its rights and it was almost no longer visible until a group decided to rehabilitate it. .

No, contrary to what one might think and what one often finds, it is not people of a certain age or an established association that is at the origin of this project but 5 young people and when I say « young », it’s almost weak since at the time Alice, François, Joris, Kévin and Samuel were between 14 and 16 years old.

Then still schoolboys, they meet Ernest Niessen who is a real living memory of the Fensch valley and who tells them about this shelter.

In the fall of 2011, they decided to embark on the adventure to bring this shelter back to life. Everything has to be redone, whether it’s the inside or the outside, and they have only a few resources, particularly material resources.

First constituted as a « junior-association » then as an association, the members of « La Lorraine through the centuries » thanks to an agreement signed with the municipality of Rochonvillers, owner of the shelter, spend their weekends and their holidays to deforest, do some painting, some electricity… to restore this building of almost 3000m² which could “accommodate” up to 140 men.

Abandoned from the 80s, the task is tough and like all jobs, the sinews of war is money.

Several parts of the building have already been partially restored, such as the infirmary, but to continue the work and hope one day to even open a museum there, they need €30,000.

This is how they are now using crowdfunding via the Ulule platform in order to continue to restore the shelter with the restoration of the kitchen for example or even 2 officers’ rooms but also for more things generalists such as modification of the electrical network.

You can participate in the campaign here ulule.com/abri-ligne-maginot

You can also find them on their blog and their Facebook page .