Forteresse de Salses: France

Salses , the inland frontier fortress

Salses fortress was built between 1497 and 1504 by the Spaniards to protect their northern province of Roussillon which was finally conquered by France in 1642. Behind the defensive walls the complex fortress features buildings on three to six levels linked by a maze of corridors and walkways. The fort incorporates three independent sections: the living quarters, battlements and the keep.

History

This half buried in the ground fortress has been built between 1497 and 1504, by the Spanish architect Francisco Ramiro Lopez for the King Ferdinand of Aragon, King of Spain during the discovery of the New World on the place of the earlier castle, which stood there. The Salses Castle has been built to withstand the metal cannon bullets. Besieged it could house for months the garrison of 1500 men and 300 horses.

Its walls are low and up to 9 meters thick. Taken by the French in 1642 and left by its Spanish garrison, the castle has been in the years after rebuilt by the famous French military architect Vauban. It is an example of the transition between medieval fortified château and the modern bastioned fortifications, revolutionary at the time.
The fortress is built from pale red brick and natural stone. It is very well preserved.
Today: A French National Monument, called officially La Forteresse de Salses, the Salses fortress is now a museum and houses a collection of modern, avanguard sculpture. (more…)

Fort de Cormeilles-en-Parisis: France

The Fort of Cormeilles-in-Parisis is one of the largest military forts of the Paris area.
while opposite, at the end of a range of hills, stirred up grounds indicated the new one of Cormeilles extremely”

History

Built between 1874 and 1877 within the framework of the System Sere de Rivières for the defense of Paris , it will be used as prison after the Second World war , then, as from the years 1960 , of camp of drive for the commandos.

It is today the property of the area Island-of-France which in entrusted management to the association of the friends of the fort of Cormeilles . This association ensures the restoration of the fort, rents of them certain parts (workshops of artists, turnings) and y organizes visits first Sunday of each month and at the time of certain events like the days of the inheritance .

The cinema

Because of its size, variety of its buildings, its network of galleries and its proximity of with the capital, the fort of Cormeilles is regularly used like decoration with the cinema (approximately a turning every two months).

Fort Saint-Louis: France

Fort -de-France is the capital of France’s Caribbean departement d’outre-mer of Martinique. With a population of 134,727 inhabitants (1999 census) in the urban area, 94,049 of whom live in the city (commune) of Fort-de-France proper, it is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean.

History

In 1638, Jacques Duparquet, first governor of Martinique, decided to have Fort Saint Louis built to protect the city against enemy attacks. The fort was soon destroyed, and rebuilt in 1669, when Louis XIV appointed the Marquees of Baas as governor general. Under his orders and those of his successors, particularly the Count of Blenac, the fort was built with a Vauban design.

Originally named Fort-Royal, the city became economically important after the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre in 1902.

Naval base

The Fort Saint-Louis in Fort-de-France is one of the French naval bases of the Caraib, along with Degrad des Cannes (French Guiana) and Port des Galets (La Reunion). It is under command of the capitaine de vaisseau in charge of the Navy and the Naval air force for the Caraibs (COMAR ANTILLES). The forces based here include:
the BATRAL Champlain (L9030)
the P400 class patrol vessel Fougueuse (P685)
the frigate Ventose (F733)

Also here are the administratives buildings of the base, the service for naval constructions, the radio station of Pointe des Sables and the ammunition storage facilities (at the end of Fort de France), and the Riviere salee sation (20 km away).

The fort is also home for the last iguanas of Martinique. (more…)