Saint-Rimay offers a direct way to explore the history of the W3 complex: the guided historical walk starts at the tunnel and is 6.5 kilometres long. You can also discover other traces of the town’s history and consider different route options. Would you mainly like to explore the W3 headquarters, include religious cultural heritage, or visit Saint-Rimay as a stop on a longer walking or cycling route? According to a description from 2016, the Chemin de Trèves runs through Saint-Rimay and forms part of a route through a total of 14 municipalities in the Loire-et-Cher department. Check the Chemin de Trèves trail markers on site before including it in a longer tour. This is separate from the temporary diversion of the Vallée du Loir à vélo (V47), which starts at the hamlet of Piquant in Saint-Rimay. Before setting off, check whether this diversion is still in place.
The W3 walk and its historical context
The historical W3 walk is a guided 6.5 km route on foot that starts at the Saint-Rimay tunnel. It can also be completed by mountain bike or in your own car. These specifically mentioned modes of transport offer a practical guide when choosing how to explore; route conditions may also be a factor. Therefore, check the conditions and tour dates before your trip. A flashlight and hiking boots are recommended for visiting the W3 site.
Construction of the German W3 headquarters began in July 1942 and ended in August 1943. The W3 complex includes two large bunkers, a power station, a telephone exchange, anti-aircraft gun positions, shelters, wells, cisterns and blast walls. Its components range from communications and utilities to protective structures and military installations. The telephone exchange gives a particularly clear sense of the complex’s size and communications links: it measured 42 × 12.6 m and was connected to Le Mans, Orléans, Tours and Berlin. The ratio of its dimensions, around 3.3 to 1, illustrates the telephone exchange’s elongated shape.
The W3 walk also passes through Le Gondré. There is a spring catchment and pumping station there, established by the Germans to supply the W3 site. It adds another aspect of the complex—its water supply—to the bunkers and telephone exchange.
Religious art and heritage protection
Saint-Rimay church is also a cultural point of interest in its own right. It houses the oil painting “Le Martyre de saint Pierre.” The church also has a bell that was classified as a protected object on 12 July 1943. The painting and the bell offer different points of interest: religious art and the history of an object with protected status. Together, they add another topic to the military-historical perspective of the W3 complex.
For the broader travel overview: Loir-Et-Cher.
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