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… Perpignan History and description Founded on a strategic site since Antiquity, Perpignan became the residence of the … fortifications were built in the form of a primitive Cellera, very rapidly replaced by an initial urban wall, of … also equipped with ravelins. This initial construction was completed in 1577 but others followed in the 16th and 17th …

… of King Henri II of France to counter the fortress of Charlemont, constructed on the orders of Emperor Charles Quint, … disappeared during the construction of the town, which was completed in 1556. This fortified new town was designed in … 1673, Vauban, also took up work on remodelling the Rocroi site by creating a covered way, traverses on the parapets, …

… In medieval times, a further urban wall including multiple round towers, which was repaired around the 14th century, … excesses. On each occasion, the town was conquered and completely devastated. To guard against any repeat, Francis … of the same name, in order to protect the mooring. Vauban visited Antibes in 1679 and 1682. He had completed an …

… between 1000 and 1150. A tower was constructed on the isle (now gone) of la Sambre, as well as an initial urban wall … Included in the first line of the Pré Carré, Louis XIV visited Maubeuge twice and tasked Vauban with building the … frame of two medieval gates is preserved. The construction commenced in 1679 and was completed in 1685. The new urban …

… Givet – Charlemont History and description The town of Givet was founded … men and three thousand horses are believed to have been accommodated at this site. A settlement project and one to expand the urban wall …

… History and description Main agglomeration of the île de Ré, Saint-Martin-de-Ré was founded in 737 with the … The citadel was a bastioned square fort but remained incomplete when the English took over the isle in 1627, coming … sent to the isle in 1674. Later, Ferry, who was still on-site, designed the project that Vauban approved and which …

… Fort de Bouc History and description The site of the tour du Bouc has been occupied since the 13th … twenty-one metres in height, and with five floors. People went in and out on the first floor via a ladder. The … vaulted and linked by a spiral staircase. The garrison accommodated here included ten men and their captain. This …

… Fort de Bellegarde History and description The Bellegarde hill (420 m. … pass (271 m.) perched on the Franco-Spain border. The site has been occupied since the middle Ages, the objective … however. In March 1668, the Knight of Clerville, Commissioner-General of the fortifications, visited the site …

… Entrevaux History and description A site occupied since the time of the Celts, the … defend the town sparked its relocation to a site along the left bank and installation at the present-day spur. The town …

… of medieval origin, Port-Louis, which was originally called Blavet, had its first modern fortifications built in the … full bastions on its land-facing fronts. In 1683, Vauban visited the site. His opinion regarding the citadel and the … was very negative, but he considered that the site itself compensated for the weakness of the port defences, which had …

… Sète History and description A site occupied since the Antiquity, Sète only became a … held the military buildings, the other supported the artillery installations. Four barbette batteries covered the … wing-shaped structures. At the centre, the nerve core comprised a platform supporting the main artillery battery, …

… Le Palais History and description The largest of the Breton … fort, Belle-Île became a royal citadel. In 1680, Vauban visited the site, which Louis XIV wished to reinforce, … and the July Monarchy, to be later continued and completed under the Second Empire (around 1860-1870), the …

… Concarneau History and description The site of the rock of Concarneau has been occupied since the … the wedding of Anne de Bretagne with the King of France Charles VIII transformed Concarneau in a royal stronghold. In … with new firing chambers. A project from 1694 remained incomplete. In 1837, the July Monarchy modernised the site by …

… Montreuil-sur-Mer History and description Noted in literature since the time of the … the reign of Philippe Auguste, King of France. He used the site to construct a castle and reconstructed the ramparts, which were equipped with …

… Grenoble History and description Founded in Isère of a Gallo-Roman … was implemented to the south-east by the addition of two complete bastions, connected to the urban wall by two … the work was overseen by Francis de Créqui. Vauban visited Grenoble on two occasions: in 1692 and 1700. During …

… Saarlouis Une ville neuve de Vauban et de Choisy Située le long de la Sarre, … nord-est de la France, entre l’Alsace et le Luxembourg. Les sites de Vaudrevange et de Sarrebruck n’étant pas aptes à … maçonnée protègent l’extérieur. L’ouvrage à corne est composé d’un bassin central inondable par une vanne et de …

… Homburg Les premières fortifications Situé dans une vallée barrée en partie par une colline rocheuse, le site d’Homburg est occupé au moins depuis l’époque romaine. … développe à son pied. Ce château est acquis en 1492 par les comtes de Nassau-Saarbrücken. Ils commanditent les premières …

… Agglomeration of Merovingian origin, Guise has had a castle since the 10th century. It was in 945 that the town … bastions of the castle included casemates and corridors for communications with musket firing loops. The construction … Louvois, the War Minister, disagreed and sent him on an on-site visit on 19 January, 1673. After this visit, Vauban …

… Château Queyras Les origines médiévales du Château Queyras L’origine … inutile pour la défense, Louis XIII décide de le conserver comme poste de surveillance, d’autant plus sur ce territoire … effectués par Vauban, l’alimentation en eau du site restait problématique. Durant la Révolution française, …

… Cammazes History and description The site of Cammazes is linked to the canal du Midi between the … to link the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. The problem of how to ensure an adequate water supply arose very … the output in Bas-Languedoc. Louis XIV finally decided to commence construction including drilling from 1666. The …

… Marseille History and description Founded by the Greeks in the 5th … de la Garde (hill of the Guard). The construction did not commence until 1536, and was the first modern construction … occupied in this way. The fort Saint-Jean was built on the site of the tour Maubert and the tour du Fanal. It was …

… for king Ferdinand of Aragon. It replaced a medieval castle taken by the French in 1496 and restored to Spain the … To enhance the defence, Lopez created an original fortress combining medieval and modern fortification. The castle was … the frontier. Transformed into a prison in 1682, Vauban visited it in 1685 and smoothed over the parapets in 1691, …

… the Haute Meuse, Mézières gets its name from the first castle established under Charlemagne in 812 (Macerianae). This … by a new one which enclosed them. This urban wall was completed in around the 16th century. The 1500s years thus … de Rivières style and a battery were constructed on the site of Ayelles, some kilometres from the town, in 1877. …

… Gravelines Historique et description A site occupied by fishermen since the 7th century, Gravelines … ramparts and brick walls. It was also endowed with a castle intended to oversee the locks of the river Aa and its … not until midway through the 18th century that they were completed with the deepening of the Aa channel in 1740. …

… Salins-les-Bains History and description Situated in the valley of the river called Furieuse (altitude: 300 m.), the site of Salins-les-Bains has been occupied since the Gallic … of Salins-les-Bains, which was the second town of Franche-Comté in the middle Ages. It was surrounded by an urban wall …

… the right bank of the Savoureuse, Belfort grew from a castle of the 11th century guarding the Belfort Gap, between the … into a citadel. This regularisation of the route was also accompanied by an expansion of the perimeter of the urban … enjoy protection as an historic monument. They can be visited freely, with or without a guide – contact the …

… Breisach-am-Rhein Les fortifications habsbourgeoises La ville de Breisach, … 1638 par le duc Bernhard de Saxe-Weimar, général allemand combattant pour les armées de Louis XIII, Breisach est … de ce rempart peut se repérer dans un parc urbain. La visite de ces éléments est possible, libre ou guidée, sur …

… and description Created in 1597 by the Italian engineer Ercole Negro, the fort Barraux was constructed on the orders of … have originated from the two earlier fortifications, Bellecombe and La Buissière, which had been abandoned twenty … The internal buildings were thus dispersed over the site, with no effort made to redesign them. A barracks, …