The Citadel

[jaguarundi]

The Citadel at Blaye

 

[Peaches]

welcome back!! Great pictures too

 

[Triple Bogey]

very nice

 

[LonesomeLoner]

Nice photos. Looks like a great place to visit.

 

[beautiful loser]

Nice! I really like the look-out tower.

 

[wolvesjr]

love the pics!

 

[ladyforsaken]

I would so love to go there.

 

[Cavey]

Nice photos and nice to see you back.

 

[Mr.YellowCat]

And here I was thinking thread is about Saint-Exupéry

 

[jaguarundi]

Thanks everyone. Its a great place to visit.

And its not so much St Exupery. More Vauban.

Its also a UNESCO World Heritage site as the best example of Vauban's fortifications...

 

[TheSkaFish]

Wow. Those pictures are gorgeous. Whereabouts in France is that? Was that medieval times, or somewhat later?

 

[jaguarundi]

Vauban was the premier military engineer of his age, and worked for Louis XIV - the Sun King.

So - it's not medieval, however the ruins of the original medieval construction are contained within the huge 'update' that Vauban gave the site.

La Citadelle stands on the bank of the Gironde at Blaye, and was built to defend Bordeaux from attack - by the English, in fact.

It was never used in anger, as the line of fire between the fort and an artificial island built up expressly for the purpose, and that island and a fort built on the Medoc - the opposite bank - meant that cannon of the age could destroy any ships sailing up the river towards Bordeaux. One assumes that no one was stupid enough to risk it...

 

[TheSkaFish]

Vauban was the premier military engineer of his age, and worked for Louis XIV - the Sun King.

So - it's not medieval, however the ruins of the original medieval construction are contained within the huge 'update' that Vauban gave the site.

La Citadelle stands on the bank of the Gironde at Blaye, and was built to defend Bordeaux from attack - by the English, in fact.

It was never used in anger, as the line of fire between the fort and an artificial island built up expressly for the purpose, and that island and a fort built on the Medoc - the opposite bank - meant that cannon of the age could destroy any ships sailing up the river towards Bordeaux. One assumes that no one was stupid enough to risk it...

Ah, that's right. It's easy to forget that, but when you think about it, the English and the French have been rivals for a longer period of history than they have been on friendly terms. That only changed in the more modern era. Fascinating stuff.