La Coupole
La Coupole d'Helfaut-Wizernes
A World War II and space history centre inside the huge German V2 rocket bunker, also home to a planetarium.
La Coupole is a huge concrete dome bunker that German forces built during the Second World War to launch V2 rockets. The dome is about 71 metres in diameter and 5 metres thick. It is now a history centre, using tunnels and multimedia to tell the story of the German occupation, the V1 and V2 rockets and the postwar space race, and it includes a 3D planetarium. A visit takes about 2 to 3 hours, and admission is about €13, with multilingual audio guides available. It is about 50 km from Wissant, a 45-minute drive, and can be combined with Saint-Omer and the Éperlecques bunker.
Opening hours
About 09:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Blockhaus d'Éperlecques
- Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode
- Calais Town Hall & The Burghers of Calais
- Le Dragon de Calais
- Cap Blanc-Nez
- Wissant Beach
- Column of the Grande Armée
- Château-Musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer