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… 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 …

… description Located not far from the Spanish frontier, the site of Socoa (the corner in Basque) comprised a cap formed by a rocky outcrop, said to be of the … another battery, namely that of Sainte-Barbe, installed on the other side. In 1627, during the Thirty Years war …

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

… Située au débouché d’une vallée sur la plaine du Pô, la ville de Pignerol apparaît au Moyen Âge et reçoit alors ses … à transformer l’enceinte urbaine et l’enclavement complet du château médiéval, construits en terre et … célèbre Masque de Fer. Les interventions de Vauban Vauban visite les lieux pour la première fois en 1669. Il signe un …

… and description An agglomeration of medieval origin, the site of Montmédy had its first fortifications built in 1221 when Count Arnould III de Chiny constructed a castle there on the rocky headland dominating the course of the … a urban wall surrounded the Upper Town (Ville Haute) to complete the defensive set-up. From 1544, Charles Quint …

… Bazoches History and description Castle founded by the Castellux family in the 12th century, … 1480 by the construction of a rectangular residential tower completed by Antoine de Follet, adviser and Chamberlain of … he added a further machicolation tower. The Bazoches site is not a war ground, but was still included in the …

… island of the same name, the first fortifications and castle were built in Château d’Oléron in the 10th century, by … When Louis XIV ordered the creation of Rochefort, the site of Oléron was retained as an advanced site for the … wall with projections and small curtain walls. The engineer Combes proceeded with constructions following the death of …

… Saint-Vincent-les-Forts La construction du fort Saint-Vincent en 1693 … d’eau de pluie, d’une boulangerie et d’une maison du commandant. Une seconde porte, équipée d’un hourd, perce le … l’aide de l’Association des Amis du fort Saint-Vincent. Le site est ouvert au public lors des Journées Européennes du …

… Saint-Louis-de-Brisach La création d’une ville neuve La création de la ville neuve de … à la ville forte de Breisach-am-Rhein, dont elle est le complément. (Voir fiche correspondante). Vauban dessine le … disponible) commence l’année suivant la signature du traité pour s’achever en 1699. Au cours de cette démolition, les …

… Sainte-Marguerite History and description Situated on the île de Lérins, facing the town of Cannes, the site of the fort Sainte-Marguerite has been a strategic hub … around the primitive castle. This construction was still incomplete however, when the Spanish gave the isle to the …

… 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, … 1673, Vauban, also took up work on remodelling the Rocroi site by creating a covered way, traverses on the parapets, … and a part of the south bastion were demolished in 1926 to facilitate entry into the town. As regards the …

… 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 …

… 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 town of … defend the town sparked its relocation to a site along the left bank and installation at the present-day spur. The town … to the Kingdom of France during the wars against Charles Quint, sovereign of Italy. The medieval fortifications …

… 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 …

… Fort d’Alès Le château féodal d’Alès Alès dispose d’un château depuis le XIIe siècle, plusieurs fois assiégé et reconstruit au … Peletine. En 1623, quelques réparations sont effectuées pour le fortifier et y loger des troupes. Le dernier siège …

… the reign of Philippe Auguste, King of France. He used the site to construct a castle and reconstructed the ramparts, which were equipped with … to archers. These ramparts were modernised several times, notably to adapt them for firearms. Ravaged in 1537 by …

… 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 …

… 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 …

… 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 engineer Niquet continued in the same vein up until 1726. hydraulic construction Pierre-Paul Riquet, Louis-Nicolas …

… 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, …