Battery de Bouviers

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The Batterie de Bouviers is a former fortress in French Guyancourt ( Yvelines ). It was built in 1879 and was used by the army until 1932. From 1933 to 1990 it was used by Hispano-Suiza as a production site. In 1999 the Ministry of Defense bought the fortress. In 2006 the battery was converted to Cafe Musiques . Today it is framed by office buildings and a music school.

history

During the Franco-Prussian War , France was partly occupied by Prussian and German troops in 1870/71. For this reason, after the defeat in 1871, the fortresses were expanded and modernized between 1874 and 1881, including the Fort du Trou d'Enfer. The defense system called Barrière de fer comprised 18 forts and 34 batteries after completion.

The Battery de Bouviers was built from 1877 to 1879 near the village of Bouviers in the city of Guyancourt . The construction of the fortress led to the expansion of the city. Battery de Bouviers was part of an ensemble of fortresses. This also included the Fort de Villeras in Saclay and the Fort du Haut-Buc . In the periphery were: Battery de la Port du Désert (destroyed), the Battery de la station de St-Cyr (partially destroyed), the Battery du Ravin de Bouviers , the Ouvrage des Docks and the Batteries de Bouviers.

Until the invention of high-explosive shells , the fortresses were considered impregnable.

description

The guns are all pointing northeast. The building materials are limestone, stone and brick. Later (after 1879) the fortress was fortified with concrete. The inscription "Batterie de Bouviers" and "1879" can be read above the gate. There were catchers for rainwater and a cistern. The fortress served 200 soldiers and 19 artillery positions. With the invention of high-explosive shells, the fortress became superfluous.

Hispano Suiza

From 1933 the battery was leased to Hispano-Suiza . The company manufactured ammunition there. Loud tests caused resentment among the population. At the beginning of the Second World War , the fortress was bombed and production was temporarily relocated to the Charente department . After the war, engines and turbines were manufactured there. In 1990 the factory was closed.

Usage today

Since 2006 the fortress has been the Café Musiques and open to the public. The architects of the renovation were Ivan Franic and Michel Garcin. Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines supported the conversion. The café offers stages, rehearsal rooms, recording studios and seats for 400 spectators. Sodexho moved into the building in 2009.

See also

Other forts in Yvelines are:

literature

  • La Redoute de Bouviers et Hispano Suiza: Réhabilitation d'un bâtiment du patrimoine industriel , Fanny Dupont, IUP ASCM M1 A, April 2007.

Web links

Commons : Batterie de Bouviers  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Jean Pulenckx: Bouviers (batterie de) . In: Index de la fortification francaise 1874-1914 . fortiff.be. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ Délibération du Conseil municipal, September 17, 1933
  3. ↑ La battery . Saint-Quentin-en-Velines. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 17, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.saint-quentin-en-yvelines.fr

Coordinates: 48 ° 47 '0.9 "  N , 2 ° 3' 35.2"  E