The Citadel of Lille (french: Citadelle de Lille; nl, Citadel van Rijsel) is a pentagonal

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. I ...

of the city wall of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...

, in France. It was built between 1667 and 1670.Lille Office of Tourism
"Monuments"
, retrieved 28 April 2013 It hosts the '' Corps de réaction rapide France''. Dubbed "Queen of the citadels" (''Reine des citadelles'') by Vauban, it is one of the most notable citadels designed by Vauban. It is remarkable for its size, the quality of the architecture, and the state of preservation today. Its various components have been classified as historic monuments in 1914, 1921 and 1934 respectively.

A first-class military installation

This "Queen of Citadels" is the matrix of most citadels designed by Vauban. Established on the border of Flanders, it was part of a double-line of fortified towns between

Gravelines Gravelines (, ; ; ) is a commune in the Nord department in Northern France. It lies at the mouth of the river Aa southwest of Dunkirk. It was formed in the 12th century around the mouth of a canal built to connect Saint-Omer with the sea. As ...

, Dunkirk and Maubeuge-

Rocroi Rocroi () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort. Population History Rocroi was fortified by Francis I of France and expanded by Henry II of France. Bec ...

. It delineated the famous "Pré Carré" ("square field") conceived by Vauban comprising 28 fortified cities. From Lille, Vauban supervised the construction of the many citadels and canals of the North, which controlled the border between France and Belgium. Lille was taken from Spain by French troops in August 1667, and

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

immediately ordered the construction of a fortress. Louis Nicolas de Clerville and Vauban proposed plans. Vauban's were those chosen by the King. Work was started in 1668 under the direction of Lille's master mason, Simon Vollant. In 1671, the citadel became operational while Vauban continued to shape the city by constructing, a few steps away, a new neighborhood around the Rue Royale. The design of the citadel follows a simple but very effective idea: not one of its walls can be approached by the enemy without them being under fire from a nearby wall.

Location

The citadel was constructed to the west of the city on marshland at the junction of the rivers

Deûle The Deûle (; nl, Deule) is a river of northern France which is channeled for the main part of its course (from Lens to Lille). The upstream part is still partly free-flowing and is known as the Souchez. The Deûle flows into the Lys (right ban ...

and Bucquet. This allowed the use of swamp water and mud as a natural defense to make conditions more difficult for any possible enemy besieging the citadel. Through a system of locks and water gates, 1,700 hectares around the citadel could be flooded to a depth of 55 cm. A wide

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...

interrupted the plans, connecting the fort to the city. In 1750, a canal along the esplanade was drilled according to the plans drawn up by Vauban.

References

External links

{{coord, 50, 38, 28, N, 3, 02, 40, E, display=title, region:FR_type:landmark_source:frwiki Buildings and structures in Lille Forts in France Tourist attractions in Lille Lille Citadel