The scenography
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There are three phases of the tour, starting from the reception building:

The galleries

The IDA gallery.

The route through the galleries (railway tunnel and access to the rocket storage area) forms a sort of airlock between our present-day world and that of the Second World War. The conversion work has been kept to a minimum (making the vaults safe, levelling and concreting the floor, lighting), in order to maintain the integrity of what was a a place of suffering for the Russian forced labourers used on the site in 1943-1944. The majority of the rooms and the walls are exactly the same as they were when the Germans stopped work in July 1944.

Two zones are equipped with explanatory panels and audio-guided headset areas to present to the visitors the nature, functions and history of the place they are entering. A large section of the underground system is not accessible to visitors, due to safety constraints.

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The main hall

Cross section of the dome

A lift takes the visitor from the network of underground galleries to the main hall situated under the dome, 42 metres higher: this is the location of the scenographic circuit, on two floors.

Two cinemas are accessible from the mezzanine where the lift arrives; they show introductory documentaries for the two historical programme circuits. These are expanded on the lower floor.

The scenography gives priority to the audiovisual transmission of information: screening videos on a large screen or on a monitor, multiprojector slide shows, multimedia animation. All the screenings are accompanied by synchronous commentary via the audio-guided headsets.

Fixed or animated models, three-dimensional reconstructions, blown-up photographs, are positioned along the circuit. Finally, some exceptional objects are on display to the public: an authentic V2 rocket with its engine, a V1 flying bomb, etc.

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The octogonal hall

The lift takes the visitor to the gallery level for the third and final part of the tour. Here the visitor can see the gigantic walls of the octagonal hall where the V2 rockets were prepared for launching before being moved to a platform situated outside.

A final gallery leads out to the open air…

To discover this exceptional site, we propose you make an interactive visit to LA COUPOLE.

Run the animation.