Toul, die Geschichte einer französischen Lagerfestung

The history of Toul fortifications already started in the times of the wars between Gauls and Romans. In the IVth century the inhabitants of the town of Toul erected a wall of 12 meters height to protect themselves against raids of ancient Germanic tribes. The was converted in the XIIIth century into a typical medieval defensive wall for the town which had grown in the mean time. In the XVIIth century the French fortress architect Vauban enreiched the fortifications with bastions. The borders of France were changed by the German/French war of 1870-1871. Therefore the French military engineer Séré de Rivières made Toul into a vast fortified camp, like also the towns of Verdun, Epinal and Belfort. The authors describe in detail the planning and building of this large fortress. They also show the reforms of French artillery necessary after 1871 and its development and mode of operation until WWI.