Fortifications and ramparts to visit France

As a former fortified town on the road to Paris, in the th century it became the favourite destination of the court. From its prestigious past, it kept about 1 400 meters of walls, its old bridge and, at each end of the Grand street, two magnificent doors - Porte de Bourgogne and Porte de Samois - among the three covered by the city.

After the capture of the city by William IX of Poitiers in 1098, the pink city was surrounded by a new enclosure, presumably along the present great boulevards of Strasbourg, Arcole, Lacrosse and Armand-Duportal. This medieval fortification has recently been the subject of a restoration led by the City Architecture service. Sheltered from the rampart, the gardens were also rehabilitated. They offer 2 600 m ² of lawns and 1 300 shrubs, between the Brienne Canal and the Caffarelli-Caffarelli garden. A place where you can learn more about the history of the city and enjoy a wonderful place to relax and relax.

Until the th century, the city extended its fortifications, a variety of ramparts called ditches. The enclosure would have been a six-door breakthrough. Only the gates of Saint John and Puycharraud were spared. You can follow the route of the th century bastion, Place-Mautondon square, which extends to the tower of the Vineyard by taking the direction of the Rue du Four, which takes the name of a door. The Saint John door is to visit all year round (key to the Market bar). The town testifies to an architecture of houses dating back to the th century, such as that of Joachim du Chalard, the Bailiff, the Book, the Echauguette, Rogues de Fursac or the Seneschal.

The underground lantern of the dead and an alleged menhir of La Jéraphie, a medieval point.

Poligny was once protected by twenty-five towers and five doors. It should be remembered that its location was strategic and coveted: between the Plaine plain and the Jura. The inhabitants therefore protected themselves by building rectangular walls that lost all utility when Franche-Comté became French after the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678. Many remains of these ramparts are still visible: the towers of Paradise and Sergenterie for example. They date back to the th century. The latter, recently restored, is a beautiful example of medieval fortification. Small reminder: Machicolated (the stones around the top of the tower) made it possible to pour boiling oil into the enemy. Note that the square tower, the so-called "tower of the Library", which today belongs to Friant lyceum (the former convent of Des), was also part of the ramparts. It dates back to the th century.

On the West side, leaning towards Lorraine, you can find the Porte de France. A military style clearly assumed, it bears witness to the Vauban period as well as the Lobau Barracks, for example. At the victory of Louis XIV, it boasts bas-reliefs and a pediment where the king's crest distinguishes itself: crown and trophies taken to the enemy are represented. The presence of pulleys at the level of the lintel shows that there was a drawbridge at the time.

Located on the east side, the Door of Germany is majestically. Dedicated to Louis XIV, it is surmounted by a pediment adorned with two angels bearing the shield of King Sun, remarkable by the presence of a lily. The victories of Louis XIV are also mentioned on both sides of the door by means of sculpted trophies. Translated from German, it reads: «In memory of Goethe's passage to Phalsbourg on 23 June 1770», on a marble plate.

The Roche-la-Croix site is a set of stone masonry (th century) and reinforced concrete (th century) which bears witness to a race without a hitch. Integrated into the Maginot system of defence of the Alps, it represented a real lock on access to Larche's Col.

It builds from the th century, first the feudal castle and the church Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Linked to the Kingdom of France, it had a strategic military role between Gâtinais and Champagne. Built around 1160, the citadel dominates the Loing, a body of-metre long houses, crowned with four circular turrets of pepper roofs. A formidable bastion, access to the dungeon was at the height of the 1 st floor. One strip, covered passage, connected the castle to the square tower the dominant tower.