Belfort Citadel

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Citadel with the Lion of Belfort in the foreground

The Belfort Citadel is a fortress in the French city ​​of Belfort , built in 1687 according to plans by Vauban . She played an important role especially in 1870/71 during the siege of Belfort , one of the last major battles of the Franco-German War .

The citadel was built on a rocky promontory east of the old town with a view of the city. In addition to the fortress and the moats, on the western flank of the barracks it contains the Lion of Belfort , created by Bartholdi in 1880 and considered the city's landmark, as a further attraction .

The citadel has been classified as a Monument historique since October 23, 1907 .

history

Map of Belfort with fortification belt (1780)

In 1226 the area was occupied by the medieval castle Château de Belfort-sur-la-Roche . Right next to it on the Miotte hill was a second castle called Château de Montfort, which was abandoned a little later .

Gaspard de Champagne, Count von Suze, began to convert the Château de Belfort-sur-la-Roche into a citadel as early as 1636, but the main work was done by Vauban and Jacques Tarade between 1687 and 1703.

Since gun technology developed rapidly in the 18th century, General Haxo modified the fortifications one more time in the 1820s. He had Vauban's barracks replaced, which was not built to withstand bombing. Denfert-Rochereau made further changes in 1870 and Séré de Rivières after the Peace of Frankfurt . The citadel is therefore a good example of a defensive structure that has gone through several stages of development over the course of its time, the Fort de Joux in the Franche-Comté region is another example.

Le fusillé souriant

Wall on which the photo Le Fusillé souriant was taken
The chain of gates through the walls of the citadel

The fourth trench served as the backdrop for a famous photo known internationally under the name Le Fusillé souriant ( German : "The smiling shot"). On it, the Resistance fighter George Blind stands against a wall and smiles at the camera during the execution by Wehrmacht soldiers. The photo taken in October 1944 became a symbol of the Resistance itself. Later research revealed that it was actually a mock execution intended to get the resistance fighter to speak. George Blind died two months later in Blechhammer Labor Camp .

See also

Web links

Commons : Citadel Belfort  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry no. PA00101142 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ↑ Le Fusillé souriant
  3. ^ Elizabeth Pastwa: Autour d'une photographie - le "fusillé souriant". Fondation de la Résistance, accessed on March 22, 2013 (French).
  4. ↑ Christophe Grudler: HOMAGE À JEAN BLIND, LE FILS DU FUSILLÉ SOURIANT. “Nouveau Souffle pour Belfort”, September 10, 2012, accessed on March 22, 2013 (French).

Coordinates: 47 ° 38 ′ 13 ″  N , 6 ° 51 ′ 56 ″  E