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… 1690 on a rock bordering the strait which separates the île of Oléron from the continent. The War Minister Louvois commissioned Michel Begon, Intendant of Rochefort, with the … given the problems of stability of the subsoil, at the site which was flooded at high tide. On 19 June, 1691, …

… Toulon History and description A site occupied since prehistoric times, Toulon (Tholus … its inclusion in the Roman Provence in 120 AD. In the middle Ages, the town had its first fortifications built in the … the project in 1589 and directed the construction up to its completion in 1595. This urban wall was extended into the …

… when canons set up there and skippers began to engage in commerce. A castle was added by the Lord of Avesnes between 1147 and 1170, … Included in the first line of the Pré Carré, Condé was visited by Vauban, who improved the town defences. Redoubts …

… History and description The first fortification on the site of Ars-en-Ré dates from 1627, under Louis XIII. The fort de Martray there was constructed in order to block access to the isthmus linking the îsle of Ars to the îsle of Rhé. It was formed of a square …

… several times during the following century before finally becoming a permanent part of France of Mazarin under the … the town. The urban wall remained however, from the middle Ages. In 1624, Louis XIII tasked Sublet de Noyers with … However the construction remained incomplete when Vauban visited in 1663. Accordingly, Vauban decided to gather …

… was constructed in 1453, at the same time as the Hâ castle, under the reign of King Charles VII of France following … project. The construction of the second château Trompette commenced in 1664 and was finished eleven years later, … and architect Nicolas Payen was the person supervising on-site. In 1680, Vauban’s attention turned to the weaknesses …

… Redoubt of Sablanceaux History and description The first fortification … the beach of Sablanceaux, on the south-east flank of the Isle of Rhé, dates back to 1673, during the war of Holland. It … 1756, at the start of the Seven Years war. From 1846, the site was upgraded to keep pace with progress in artillery. …

… construction there. In the 1660s, the Knight of Clerville proposed the construction of an important port … there, but the project was abandoned. In 1679, Vauban visited Collioure and Port-Vendres. He set out a military port … came to nothing. The engineer Rousselot got no further than completing minor fortifications in 1693. Three redoubts …

… Fort de la Latte History and description The château de la Latte can be traced back to at least the 14th century. Besieged multiple times, it was … later, the engineer Garangeau renovated this ancient site, by transforming it into a coastal battery in 1691. The …

… the town, which was finally taken by the protestant Lesdiguières in 1585 and ruined. Under the protestant … Embrun was taken and stricken. The following year, Vauban visited it and set out a memo for the defence of the city. … was intended to replace the first should Mont-Dauphin not come to fruition. The first project was only partially …

… du Grand Donjon was constructed at the same time. This whole fortified development was redeveloped in the 14th century … port of the kingdom of France: city of Corsairs but also of commerce and negotiation. The outbreak of the war of the … parapet. The engineer Garangeau applied the construction on-site, while ensuring it was also continually adapted to the …

… Joux line had disappeared; the Duke of Burgundy Philippe le Bon bought it in 1454. The castle was besieged in 1475 by … by the French in 1674 during the second conquest of Franche-Comté, the Château de Joux became French as of this time. … earth banks and artillery cademates. Captain Joffre, future Marshal of the First World War, coordinated the …

… and later reinforced under the Arab occupation. The castle and town were constructed from the 8th century. … The fort Carré and the star tower were constructed from 1726 to 1770 to the north of the town in order to complete the … citadel and the fort Saint-Elme were preserved and can be visited. They house museums and exhibition spaces. The fort …

… 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 … known as Palatinat on its north-west flank, and can be visited. A hotel occupies the barracks. Numerous activities, …

… at the same time as the tour de Tatihou (see Tatihou file), during the war of the League of Augsburg. There was a need to protect the harbour of Saint-Vaast, which had come under attack following a French naval defeat in June … tower. For some years, it has been open to visitors. The site, just like the nearby tour de Tatihou, is included on …

… The tour de Tatihou was constructed in 1694 on the île de Tatihou (isle of Tatihou), at the same time as the … the plans of Vauban. It was a tapered truncated tower, 26 metres in diameter at its base, with walls 3.60 metres … of the Manche, has been open to the public since 1992. The site is included on the World Heritage List as part of the …

… origin, Saint-Omer has been fortified since 900, when a castle and a market were installed around the collegial and … Netherlands Spanish, multiple other bastions and ravelins completed the defences. Certain projects remained unrealised … to protect the dykes. All the moats surrounding the site were flooded. fort, then entrenched camp with hydraulic …

… La Rade History and description The isle of Aix had its first modern defences installed in 1672. A … from the rest of the isle by a front with a tenaille, comprising two arrow-headed bastions and an inner fortified … projects set out by Vauban and Ferry. The interest in this site comes from the fact that it showcases the posterity of …

… description A town of medieval origins, the Old Town (Vieille Ville) of Nancy had its first city fortifications built … urban wall of 1550. Only the porte Saint-Nicolas allowed communication between the two towns. The town-planning of … place Carrière and place Neuve today retrace the site of the rampart, which used to separate the two towns. A …

… in around 1684 in order to remedy a lack of water in Versailles. The Machine de Marly did not allow sufficient supply to … was one of the main obstacles on this route. To overcome it, it was decided to construct an aqueduct. The … of the valley. The penstocks were never laid, and the site was very rapidly used as a quarry for the local …

… Thionville History and description Situated in a bend of the … 1239 that it was replaced by a urban wall constructed in 1268. The tower became the rectangular keep of a castle, and … of the foreign guards, supervised the construction on-site. In 1677, Vauban advocated the enlargement of the …

… History and description In the Alsace plain, on the left bank of the Rhine, where it meets the Ill and Bruche, … siege conducted by Louis XIV in person for Strasbourg to become French in 1681. After having captured the town, Vauban … the fortifications of Alsace, directed the construction on-site and applied the project of Vauban, which continued up …

… Villefranche-de-Conflent History and description Situated at … the war of Devolution, the Knight Nicolas de Clerville completed a memoir on the need to fortify … since 1970. All are classed as historical monuments and the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the …

… This urban wall disappeared under the Merovingians, while the city went back on the plans for an amphitheatre. In … of the Nantes edict in 1685. The engineer Francis Ferry was commissioned with designing the plans. In 1687, he submitted … in glass and steel, which are constructed on curtain wall sites, between the former barracks and bastions. People can …

… which overlooked the Durance, at the point where five valleys intersected. This small fort was replaced by a medieval … Louis XIV to modernise Briançon. These modernisations commenced with the construction of a first urban wall, … before the final demilitarisation of the fortified sites. Military cable cars were installed to connect the …