Article published on the Ouest-France website – 05/05/2025.
The German prison camp at Foucarville (Manche) was the largest of its kind built in Europe. Between 1944 and 1947, over 100,000 men were held captive in this camp, of which not a single visible vestige remains. By 2028, a museum is due to be built to bring to life the history of the Normandy landings.
Between 1944 and 1947, the Foucarville prison camp (Manche) housed 100,000 German soldiers. Although no remains of the site remain, a museum is due to open by 2028. It will tell the story of Europe’s largest German prison camp.
100,000 men held captive
“With sometimes up to 60,000 soldiers on this site of around 100 hectares,” points out Jean Quétier, president of the Comité du Débarquement and treasurer of the association, which has been working for five years to create a museum. “A history that very few people know about, and a site on which no remains remain, apart from a monument. “
Scheduled to open in 2028
We’ll have to wait until 2028, “or even 2029”, to discover this museum and its 800 m2 of exhibition space, spread over three wooden buildings near the Ravenoville church. There’s still a long way to go,” admits Jean Quétier. Financing is just beginning to take shape in a concrete way.”
