From the beginning of the 16th century, the inhabitants of Toulon were heavily preoccupied with sheltering their town from an attack by sea. And although, with its fortified wall dating from the 14th century, Toulon could consider itself sheltered from a sudden attack from the land, its harbour remained entirely open to enemy fleets. Listening to the pleas of the province and alerted by the town council, in 1513 KIng Louis XII ordered the construction of a fortification in the form of a tower in the entrance to the port to defend its access. Originally called the Royal Tower, this fortification was immediately called the Great Tower or the Big Tower by the people, who were amazed at its size. In a municipal debate held on the 16th July 1513, the town council decided that this tower would be built on the cape known as la Manègue, in the entrance to the port, as the king had wanted. The execution of the work was under the supervision of an Italian engineer of great renown, Jean-Antoine de la Porta, who arrived at the port in early May 1514. The work was started on the 14th May, the date of the first excavations, to public rejoicing and would continue, often halted due to financial difficulties, for ten years. The Great Tower was completely finished and armed in May 1524. Command of it was entrusted to the unsavoury individual Captain Jehan du Mottet, famous for the cowardice with which he surrendered it to the Imperials, without a struggle, for 500 gold Ecus, when the latter invaded Provence in 1524. The enemy found 3 canons and 9 other artillery pieces there, which they drove to their camp outside Marseille, opening up the first route through the Ollioules gorges, in order to avoid the harsh climb up the Corps de Garde pass. Amongst the canons taken were the famous culverin, called Lézarde, which was later to cause so much harm to the French on the day of the Battle of Pavia (24th February 1525) and which was partly responsible for the victory. In 1529, the Great Tower was rearmed and as a result was able to resist in July and August 1536, when the fleet of Andréa Doria entered Toulon. It could not, however, prevent it from occupying the harbour during the new invasion of Provence by Charles Quint. During the persecutions suffered by the protestants in the province as a result of the Saint-Barthélémy massacre, about twenty Reformist families found asylum in the Great Tower.

It played no active role during the siege of 1707, but as it was powerfully armed, the ships of Admiral Showel's English fleet did not dare to break through the harbour. Towards the end of the 17th century, this fortress, which had for a long time provided the only defence of Toulon from the sea, was already no longer capable of providing a useful service. However, in 1746, it was still equipped with fifteen 24 canons, ten 18's, four 12's and two 6's, making a total of thirty one canons. From 1770 onwards, which was when Fort Lamalgue was finished, the Great Tower no longer played a major role in the defence of the harbour. The Revolution was to turn it into a jail; many victims were imprisoned and perished there. It had the same use during the counter-revolution of 1793. On the 19th May 1798, Josephine came to the Tower to say goodbye to Bonaparte as he set off on his expedition to Egypt. Although it was a pleasant prison in 1809 for the crew of the English frigate the Proserpine, captured off Sicié on the 27th February, for the duration of the First Empire it would accommodate in a more rudimentary fashion the many draft dodgers awaiting trial or their departure to the companies of pioneers. In 1825, the chapel was demolished and the small cemetery deconsecrated. The Tower had twenty-one canons in 1844. During the Franco-German war of 1870-1871, its basements were used to store the gold of the Bank of France. A project to install a battery of two 370mm canons there was abandoned in 1900. Since then, the Great Tower has been used as a store for naval construction, and to service torpedoes etc. In the 1914-1918 war German prisoners of war were interned there. During the 1939-1945 war it was occupied by the Germans and armed with various weapons, most notably anti-aircraft canons. It was hit several times and was badly damaged during the allied bombardments of 1943-1944. Between 1947 and 1948 it was cleared of rubble and a few minor repairs were carried out. Since the 11th April 1947 it has been listed as a historic monument.
A canon tower, almost circular in shape, 60 metres in diameter, with walls varying in thickness from 5 m to 3 m, it consists of a central nucleus, a low casemated battery with eight embrasures, a platform at access level with a drawbridge and an upper terrace protected by a solid wall forming a parados. It is surrounded by a wide moat. Several modifications have been carried out to the fort over the years: the addition of two low batteries at the end of the 17th century, whose embrasures are now blocked up; the establishment of a barracks on the platform and then a guard house; the development of the upper terraces to accommodate anti-aircraft artillery.
The central nucleus contains a collection of premises laid out on three levels, one above the other and linked by spiral staircases. In addition to two water tanks, there are vaulted halls used as storerooms and dungeons. It was all originally lit by natural light. The nine casemated cells are accessed by a circular gallery. A canon ramp links the stores with the upper terraces, allowing the transportation of artillery and ammunition.
This historic monument, managed by the Ministry of Defence, is covered by a Culture and Defence protocol, signed on the 17th September 2005. Click here to see the list of other buildings ...
Toulon Tourist Information Office Place Raimu 83000 Toulon Tel.: + 33 (0) 4 94 18 53 00

This, as well as its four lakes, means that the Pays de Langres defence system is one of the best preserved in comparison to its original state.

Context

After the 1870 war, Alsace and Moselle were annexed by the German Empire, depriving France of the natural defences provided by the Rhine and the majority of the Vosges mountain range. The country's entire defence system had to be modified. This task was completed by the General of the Engineers, Raymond Séré de Rivières.

Having noted the disadvantaged new borders and the fact that it would be impossible to stop the enemy on them, he decided to construct "defensive curtains" designed to help concentrate and move troops. With strongly fortified towns at each end (Verdun, Toul, Epinal and Belfort), these curtains formed a string of separate forts, preventing any passage. Two large breaches were left (at Charmes and Stenay) for troop manoeuvres.

This system, designed to offer support and openings for a French attack or channel German troops if they broke through, was complemented behind the front line by a second line of immense fortified camps (Besançon, Dijon and Langres). Their role was to support the curtains by coordinating an offensive or strategic retreat.

This colossal project, started in 1874, was practically complete within a decade.

Defensive structure

Modernisation of the structure, inherited directly from the mid-17th century, began in the mid-19th century: construction of the citadel (1842-1860), reconstruction of the enclosed town (1844-1856) and the start of work on Bonnelle and Peigney forts (1869). The project was rudely interrupted by the war of 1870. The lessons learned during the conflict confirmed the credibility of detached fortifications, and justified moving these away from the site itself due to rapid progress in artillery. From 1874, the aims of the system at Langres were to: support a reserve army amassed around Langres, provide backing for an army forced to abandon the Vosges or Franche-Comté, shelter the town and supply routes to the citadel from bombing and control the railway lines and prevent the enemy from using them.

The fortified camp was transformed up until 1893. After a half-century of intensive work it was made up of over forty structures (citadel, 8 detached forts, 20 batteries and infantry structures, 9 underground magazines and 4 strategic wells), linked by 60km of strategic roads.

Montlandon Fort (or Mortier Fort) was built between 1883 and 1885, 10km east of Langres. It covered an area of 8.5 hectares and could house 7 officers and 350 men. Today, it has been converted into a farm with accommodation. Visitors can enjoy meals and snacks, buy local produce and visit the fort and farm. Open for visits. Status: private property.

Le Cognelot or Vercingétorix Fort was built between 1874 and 1877 to control the Culmont-Chalindrey railway node, protect an army retreating towards the plateau and play a pivotal role in allowing an army to garrison the east and south-east ridges of the plateau, preventing the enemy from besieging them.

Le Congelot Fort covers an area of 29 hectares and is located 8 kilometres south-east of Langres. It could house 13 officers and 623 men (and up to 1,083 in wartime). As it needed to be autonomous, supplies were designed to last 3 months: in addition to 100,000 individual rations, 585 cubic metres of water (6 litres per man per day) were required. Guided visits are available to individuals every Sunday in July and August except when events are being held. Groups: all year round by appointment.

Peigney or Constance Chlore Fort was built between 1869 and 1875, 2.5km east of Langres. It is a trapezoidal point defence fort which covers an area of 18 hectares. It was designed to house 8 officers, 18 non-commissioned officers and more than 336 men. Its weaponry was made up of 49 pieces of artillery (plus 22 in reserve). Status: property of the civilian emergency service.

Pointe de Diamant or Defrance Fort is the smallest fort in the defence system. Its role, in combination with La Bonnelle Fort, was to control the plateau west of the site. It is situated 3.2km from Langres and was built between 1874 and 1877. It covers an area of almost 12.76 hectares and was capable of housing 8 officers, 18 non-commissioned officers, 334 troops and 29 pieces of artillery. Status: the fort, which belongs to a private company, has been abandoned and is therefore not open for visits.

Saint-Menge or Ligniville Fort. Saint-Menge Fort (also known as Ligniville fort after the first Prefect of Haute-Marne) formed an integral part of the 19th-century Langres defensive system. It is located 8km north of Langres. This trapezoidal stop fort covering an area of 22 hectares is equipped with two batteries and a fortified camp. Its construction, on the site of a promontory fort at the point where the Marne valley opens out, began in 1874. Once completed in 1881 it was capable of housing 19 officers, 37 non-commissioned officers, 754 troops and 68 pieces of artillery. Status: private property. Not open for visits.

La Bonnelle or Décres Fort This fort, construction of which had hardly begun at the time of the 1870 war, is the only structure to have come under enemy fire when the Prussians circumvented the fortifications in January 1871. The building of the fort commenced in 1869 and was finally completed in 1885, after two phases of works (1869-1875 and 1881-1885). It is a trapezoidal point defence fort covering an area of 18 hectares. It was capable of housing 13 officers, 50 non-commissioned officers, 610 troops, 4 horses and 45 pieces of artillery. Status: property of Saint-Geosmes village. Open for visits for groups only, by appointment. Contact: Pays de Langres tourist office.

Dampierre or Magalotti Fort is the most distant, but also the largest, of the eight forts of the Langres curtain. It was built between 1874 and 1879 between the Coudre and Traire valleys, and is France's largest fort (52 hectares). It is surrounded by 4 kilometres of ditches and was designed to house 43 officers, 146 non-commissioned officers and 1,350 troops. Its immense size is matched only by its weaponry capability - up to 142 pieces of artillery. Status: property of the Ministry of Defence. Not open for visits.

Plesnoy or Medavy Fort was built between 1877 and 1881, 11.8km north-east of Langres. It is a 38-hectare stop fort designed to house 25 officers, 48 non-commissioned officers, 768 men (and 300 artillerymen) and 47 pieces of artillery. Around it stand four batteries, one of which is built against the fort, and a detached powder magazine at Bois Salicaut. Status: private property. Closed to the public.

Information

Pays de Langres Tourist Office

BP16 - 52201 Langres cedex

Tel: +33 (0)3 25 87 67 67

Fax: +33 (0)3 25 87 73 33

Langres Citadel

52200 LANGRES

Tel: +33 (0)3 25 87 67 67

Fax: +33 (0)3 25 87 73 33

E-mail: info@tourisme-langres.com
 

Pays de Langres

The principles of the bastioned fortification were perfectly suited to this site. It houses the fortress’ living museum. Fort La Garde, inside the town of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, is situated 60 kilometres from Perpignan and 13 kilometres from the Spanish border.

Fort La Garde

The place became a border town following the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) when Vallespir, Roussillon, Conflent-Capcir and part of Cerdagne were annexed to the Kingdom of France.  At the time the fortress housed some one hundred soldiers. During the Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678), the threat from Spain prompted the King of France to reinforce the strategic site. The keep was thus built in 1677 around an ancient medieval signal tower in order to keep watch over the inhabitants following the uprising of the Angelets de la Terra or ‘angels of the land’ (between 1663 and 1672, some of the population of Vallespir and Conflent revolted against the gabelle, the salt tax).

After the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV decided to send military reinforcements to the eastern border with Spain. Seven fortified towns were concerned including Prats-de-Molla. He commissioned Vauban for the job. In 1686, after a trip to Roussillon in 1679, he enlarged the keep and built Le Pâté à Comète (an old château with a star-shaped surrounding wall) and the main courtyard or the ‘place of arms’. The original plans also included the reconstruction of the town’s ramparts destroyed during the Revolt of the Angelets. In 1691, the engineer Rousselot, in charge of the fortified towns in Roussillon, drew up plans for an extension, supported by Vauban. The war was temporarily interrupted by the works which, while resumed during the second half of the 18th century, were never completed.

The monument is characteristic of the bastioned fortification and was adjusted to the terrain. On the southern face, there are two lines of defence in front of the keep: the countergard and the ensemble formed by the bray, the Sainte-Marguerite redan (salient) and the right-hand ledge. The northern and eastern flanks are bordered by ravines. The western flank, which was more vulnerable to attack, was protected by a complex defence system and reinforced by a place of arms and a corridor known as a "Muhammad's tomb", a construction whose shape resembled a Muslim grave.

The materials used during the construction included granite from the Costabonne Massif, schist and brick. Military escape routes were also incorporated. This consisted of a passage starting in the place with 142 steps leading underground, dating from the 18^th century, ending at a redoubt with arch machicolations, the “square tower”. A covered way, between the town and the redoubt, completed this passage that gave soldiers stationed in the town a way to enter the fort in the event of attack. The last military improvements were made in the 19th century.

Classified as a historic monument in 1925, the site was acquired by the local municipality in 1976.

Musée Vauban: the living museum at the fortress

Today, the fort houses a museum dedicated to fortifications and military history, including the different corps of the army, armements and daily life in the 18^th century. Since 1996, the visit has also included live performances. The guided tour is punctuated by reenactments that portray military training in the 18th century. Visitors are treated to stunts, demonstrations and fighting during the 90 minute tour.

Fort Lagarde in Prats-de-Mollo

Tourist Information Office

Place le Foiral 66230 Prats de Mollo la Preste France

Tel: +33 4 68 39 70 83

Fax: +33 4 68 39 74 51

E-mail: contact@pratsdemollolapreste.com

Office de tourisme de Prats de Mollo la Preste

Fort du Salbert

Route du Fort Salbert

90300 Cravanche

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau

90000 Belfort

Tel.: +33 (0)3 84 55 90 90

Fax : +33 (0)3 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quiz : Forts et citadelles

The intermediate fortification of Meroux was built between 1908 and 1913 to reinforce the line of defence between Fort of Vézelois and the Fort of Fougerais.

Small in size and with a very simple design, it represents the final step in the evolution of French fortification before the First World War.

Built entirely of concrete, it has a trapezoid shape and is surrounded by a ditch defended by two counterscarp coffers.

Access was via the ditch and all of the fort's parts are interconnected by bulletproof underground passages.

There is a parapet for infantry on top.

It could accommodate over 400 men in its barracks.

Fort of Méroux

Rue de l'Ouvrage

90400 Meroux

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau

90000 Belfort

Tel.: +33 (0)03 84 55 90 90

Fax : +33 (0)3 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

Built at the same time and following the same plans as that for Bessoncourt, Fort Vézelois was erected to cover the forts of Bessoncourt and Bois d'Oye and provide defence mainly along the roads leading from Switzerland and the Mulhouse railway.

It had the capacity for under 600 men and some 30 cannons.

As with Bessoncourt, in 1888-1889 it received a concrete shell over one third of its central barracks.

The majority of its artillery was also distributed in the exterior batteries after 1887, but no major modernisation appeared until 1909: Caponiers replaced by counterscarp batteries, shelters and parapets installed for the infantry, construction of a Bourges casemate, a 75-mm turret and two machine gun turrets.

Some underground excavation was carried out during the First World War.

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau

90000 Belfort

Tel.: 03 84 55 90 90

Fax : 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

It is a large fort made from limestone masonry with a pentagonal layout, designed to hold 650 men and some 30 artillery pieces. It is characteristic of the forts with a massif central and batterie basse (main structure and low battery) in which the long-range and short-range artillery are assembled on the rampart bordering the ditch while the infantry stand over the caponiers and on the roof of the central barracks. But shortly after it was completed, it was already outmoded and had to undergo modernisation.

It is one of the rare forts in the area to have been constantly maintained to keep abreast with technical progress: in 1888, a concrete shell was poured over one-third of the central barracks; the majority of its long-range artillery was distributed around the neighbouring batteries, the fort became a point d'appui for the infantry and underwent a complete refit (caponiers replaced by counterscarp batteries, shelters built for cannons on the flanks and concrete shelters over the ramparts, variety of fortifications). In 1908-1909, two 75-mm cannon towers and two machine gun towers were erected.

During the First World War, the fort was used as a hospital, but from 1917, fortification work resumed with the digging of deep underground rooms and galleries to provide communication with the exterior (entrances at the rear and machine gun outposts at the front).

The successive modernisations it received gave this fort a particular personality and makes it an excellent testament to the development of French fortifications between 1885 and 1918.

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort

Tel: 03 84 55 90 90

Fax: 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail: tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

La Caponnière

Fort Mont-Vaudois is located in Héricourt in the Department of Haute-Saône. A linkage between the fortified camp of Belfort and the southern curtain wall, this fort, built between 1874 and 1877, was intended to control the Lizaine valley and Châlonvillars plain in Échenans, and protect the routes to Montbéliard. Several adjoining batteries built around the fort completed its function.

Designed to hold 650 men and some 50 artillery pieces, it is a large trapeze-shaped fort with a complex internal layout. A semi-circular massif central or central structure housing the barracks is preceded by a high crest for the long-range artillery which is itself preceded by a low crest for the infantry and light artillery.

Firing in the same direction, a group of four casemates for indirect fire was placed behind this central structure. Its rear faces a line of open-air outposts firing in the opposite direction. Two doors provide a route to the exterior.

In 1889, in response to the crisis of 1885, underground casemates were dug beneath the fort to serve as bulletproof barracks during war time. However, being far down on the list of priorities, the fort had to wait until 1913 until it received any major modernisation works. Two 155 turrets, three machine gun turrets and rampart shelters were planned.

However, when the war started, only the concreting of one section of the barracks, two observation points and some underground passages were completed. The modernisation was then abandoned and the fort was restored improvising with the resources at their disposal.

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort

Tel: 03 84 55 90 90

Fax: 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail: tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Source text: Antoine Brolli

Fort Giromagny or Fort Dorsner stands at the southernmost point of the defensive curtain of Haute-Moselle that connected the fortified camps of Belfort and Épinal. Its role was to control the busy crossroads at Giromagny where an invasion route (from Ballon d'Alsace to Belfort) intersected with a road that bypassed the fortified camp of Belfort (the road from Masevaux to Champagney).

Built between 1875 and 1879, it had the honour of receiving the first two armoured turrets built in France (two revolving iron-clad towers each holding two 155-mm cannons) and the only ones in the Belfort fortifications before the 1900s. This trapezium-shaped fort with its compact architecture was equipped with shelter for nearly 650 men and a sizeable armament. A massif central was organised around a courtyard with attractive walls of rose sandstone. It housed the barracks and storehouses, six casemates for indirect fire and the two turrets. It was surrounded by a rampart equipped with open-air artillery outposts.

Fort Giromagny did receive some modernisation, albeit barely sufficient: Excavation of underground powder stores in 1888 then underground shelters in 1914, three observation posts (1913-1914) and some concreting to reinforce the vaults (1914-1916).

On 18 June 1940, the fort’s turrets fired missiles at the German troops before the garrison surrendered.

Le fort Dorsner et géré entièrement  par une association indépendante de tout autre organisme,

de bénévoles "l'Association du Fort Dorsner"(A.F.D.)

"l'Association du Fort Dorsner"(A.F.D.)

Tél. : 06 72 56 42 70        mail : fort.dorsner@laposte.net

Facebook : facebook.com/fort.dorsner

Ouverture au public du sommet, avec vue panoramique sur la trouée de Belfort

et ses alentours - Circuit visite libre à l’extérieur du fort.

ENTREE 3€/pers. (gratuit pour les moins de 12 ans accompagnés). 

Plus d’une heure de visite libre dans les souterrains et au milieu de l’architecture militaire.
 

OUVERTURE CHAQUE DIMANCHE 

et jours fériés du 3 juillet au 18 septembre (inclus) : de 14 à 18h (fermeture des entrées à 17h15)

Possibilité de visite guidée d’avril à octobre (Réservation obligatoire) 

pour les groupes de 30 pers. maxi (40 €/groupe).
 

Maison du Tourisme 2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort

Tél. : 03 84 55 90 90 - Fax : 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quizz : Forts et citadelles