What to see

The German occupation of the port of Cherbourg saw extensive building work take place to create a ‘festung’ or fortress city with thousands of bunkers, shelters, gun casemates, batteries, and defensive structures constructed.
Aside from the gun batteries and defences, there were also many other buildings for personnel, including air-raid shelters, first-aid stations, and this large hospital building.
Located to the south of the main port area inside the grounds of the historic Hospital Louis Pasteur, it’s a R118 bunker featuring more than a dozen rooms including two wards, two medical rooms, and rooms for medical staff, heating, and ventilation.
The bunker is still part of the hospital expansive today, being used by the oncology department which treats cancer patients. As expected, visiting inside is not suitable for the public, but you can see the scale of the structure from the hospital grounds and car park.