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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, …

… Amédée V and became the subject of numerous power struggles from 1305 to 1601, whereupon it was finally given to … its destruction during a siege in 1815. The July Monarchy completed the defensive installations with the construction … of a road tunnel under the fort saw all interest in the site as the location of a fort lost. fort Sébastien le …

… Palatine had to sell it in 1583 to the Duke of Lorraine Charles III. The town was razed during the Thirty Years War, to … were left standing in 1650. In 1661, Duke Charles IV was compelled to cede it to Louis XIV and to cardinal Mazarin, … remained the first minister of the king. In 1679, Vauban visited Phalsbourg in the company of Louvois, the war Minister …

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

… 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 …

… from scratch by Vauban. Its construction was intended to compensate for the loss of the fortified town of … the Thirty Years war. The Treaty of Rijswick of 1697 compelled France to return the Baden area to Austria and to … Mandated by Louis XIV from 1697, Vauban selected the site of Neuf-Brisach due to its proximity to Brisach, while …

… 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 …

… 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 …

… 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 …

… 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 …