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… Cherbourg History and description A town of Roman origin and a defensive … construction made by Litus, Cherbourg has had a castle since the 10th century. The first urban wall is thought to … importance of the port which faced England. In 1639, the commissioner general of the navy of Louis XIII, Louis le …

… Sisteron History and description A site which has been occupied for 4000 years, Sisteron is an unavoidable border crossing between the Dauphiné and Provence. Situated on a bend … based on the Austrian-Sardinian threat. The citadel was completely renovated and its gates were redesigned. citadel …

… Mirepeysset History and description The site of Mirepeysset (or … to one of the difficult aspects of this construction: crossing the Cesse river, encased in a hollow of land in comparison to the level of water in the canal. When he …

… Metz History and description}} An agglomeration of Celtic origin, Metz … of the Merovingian kingdom of Austrasia, named Mettis. Becoming an imperial town in the middle Ages, a new urban wall … are open to visitors. The relief map constructed in 1825-1826, updated in 1868 (updating suspended following the …

… Cammazes History and description The site of Cammazes is linked to the … the output in Bas-Languedoc. Louis XIV finally decided to commence construction including drilling from 1666. The … The engineer Niquet continued in the same vein up until 1726. hydraulic construction Pierre-Paul Riquet, Louis-Nicolas …

… Nice History and description A town of ancient origin, Nice has been fortified since at least the middle Ages. In the 14th century, the … on the orders of Emmanuel-Philibert I of Savoy. A hornwork comprising two orillon bastions was built in front of the …

… Salins-les-Bains History and description Situated in the valley of the river called … of Salins-les-Bains, which was the second town of Franche-Comté in the middle Ages. It was surrounded by an urban wall … as well as a watch tower on the plateau de Saint-André (in 1265 in the latter). The château Belin and the château Bracon …

… Château-Trompette History and description The first château Trompette was … project. The construction of the second château Trompette commenced in 1664 and was finished eleven years later, … engineer and architect Nicolas Payen was the person supervising on-site. In 1680, Vauban’s attention turned to the …

… Le Palais History and description The largest of the Breton isles saw the … to reinforce, following a Dutch raid in 1674. After analysing the situation multiple times, he drafted a new project … and the July Monarchy, to be later continued and completed under the Second Empire (around 1860-1870), the …

… Marseille History and description Founded by the Greeks in the 5th century … before our era, Marseille had had city fortifications since the Middle Ages. It was in the 13th century that the … de la Garde (hill of the Guard). The construction did not commence until 1536, and was the first modern construction …

… Fort de Bellegarde History and description The Bellegarde hill (420 m. alt.) … on the Franco-Spain border. The site has been occupied since the middle Ages, the objective being to take control … however. In March 1668, the Knight of Clerville, Commissioner-General of the fortifications, visited the site …

… Verdun History and description Situated along the Haute Meuse and with its own bishop since the 3rd century, Verdun has been a fortified … several times during the following century before finally becoming a permanent part of France of Mazarin under the …

… Concarneau History and description The site of the rock of Concarneau has been occupied since the Protohistory, but it was not until the 10th … with new firing chambers. A project from 1694 remained incomplete. In 1837, the July Monarchy modernised the site by …

… Belfort History and description Medieval town, the origins of which can be … into a citadel. This regularisation of the route was also accompanied by an expansion of the perimeter of the urban … Savoureuse, the river bisecting the town, in the aim of using the new course as a form of hydraulic defence to the …

… Bergues History and description Medieval town, comprising two initial urban centres (the Saint-Winocq abbey and …

… Sedan History and description A town which came into being in the 10th century, equipped with a castle since the 13th century, Sedan was integrated into French … received Sedan and the independent principality it had become under Henri II. The angles of the former castle …

… Sélestat History and description A town of Carolingian origin, built on the … and the arsenal de Saint-Hilaire (1518). The town housed a commandery of the Order of the Hospitaliers since the 13th century. In 1673, the urban medieval wall was …

… Prats-de-Mollo History and description Situated in the Haut Vallespir, near the sources of the Tech, Prats-de-Mollo was mentioned since 878, under the Carolingians. Its first urban wall was … Louvois, the War Minister, persuaded Louis XIV against completing the project but the medieval defensive walls were …

… Saint-Omer History and description A town of Merovingian origin, Saint-Omer has been fortified since 900, when a castle and a market were installed around … Netherlands Spanish, multiple other bastions and ravelins completed the defences. Certain projects remained unrealised …

… Brouage History and description Situated in a zone of salt rock and … the port, which would never again be totally clear. In 1626, the Cardinal of Richelieu became governor of the town … would be channelled back to a part of Brouage, remained incomplete. Only the southern half of the town was able to …

… Condé-sur-l’Escaut History and description A town of Gallo-Roman origin, Condé did … when canons set up there and skippers began to engage in commerce. A castle was added by the Lord of Avesnes between … modern earthworks. One side was completely reconstructed using this technique. In 1676, Louis XIV besieged the town, …

… Guise History and description Agglomeration of Merovingian origin, Guise has had a castle since the 10th century. It was in 945 that the town became a … bastions of the castle included casemates and corridors for communications with musket firing loops. The construction …

… par un château fort, dit Grevenburg ( i.e. château des comtes ) édifié après 1357 par le comte Jean III de … en 1681. Au cours des travaux de la place forte de Mont Royal sur la colline en face, qui commencent en 1687, Vauban … que Vauban édifie entre 1687 et 1697 sur la colline voisine (voir fiche Mont-Royal). Après la signature du traité …

… Fort Sainte-Marguerite History and description Situated on the île de Lérins, facing the … site of the fort Sainte-Marguerite has been a strategic hub since the Antiquity (some foundations of a Roman fort were … around the primitive castle. This construction was still incomplete however, when the Spanish gave the isle to the …

… Fort de Bouc History and description The site of the tour du Bouc has been occupied since the 13th century by a defensive construction intended … vaulted and linked by a spiral staircase. The garrison accommodated here included ten men and their captain. This …

… Besançon History and description A town of Roman origin, Besançon has had … start of the 17th century, however, this protection had become insufficient. Besieged in 1668, the town was occupied … was divided into two courtyards, west and east, via a crossing section, to which four barracks were also connected. …

… Antibes History and description A town of Greek origin, founded by the … excesses. On each occasion, the town was conquered and completely devastated. To guard against any repeat, Francis … Restored from 1979 to 1985, it has been open to the public since 1998 and can be visited if contacting the local …

… Villefranche-de-Conflent History and description Situated at the confluent of the Têt and … the war of Devolution, the Knight Nicolas de Clerville completed a memoir on the need to fortify … step staircase, connected the fort to the town. The crossing of the Têt was enabled via a bridge protected by a …