Fort de Champigny was built following the Franco-Prussian War to defend

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Located to the southeast of Paris in

Chennevières-sur-Marne Chennevières-sur-Marne (, literally ''Chennevières on Marne'') is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History People have lived on the site of Chennevières-sur-Marne since pre-histo ...

, the fort was part of an outer ring of fortifications built in response to improvements in the range and effectiveness of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

since the construction of the Thiers fortifications of the 1840s. It was built in accordance with improved principles of fortification developed for the

Séré de Rivières system The system was named after Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, its originator. The system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers and coasts of France. The fortresses were obsolescent by 1914 but were used during ...

. The Fort de Champigny was built between 1878 and 1880 on an area of eight hectares at a location that had been used by the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

ns to bombard Paris in the 1870 war. The site controlled movement on the Paris-Troyes railway line at

Champigny-sur-Marne Champigny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Champigny on Marne'') is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Name Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny. The name Champigny ulti ...

. The four-sided fort is surrounded by a ditch and a

counterscarp A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides, respectively, of a ditch or moat used in fortifications. Attackers (if they have not bridged the ditch) must descend the counterscarp and ascend the scarp. In permanent fortifications th ...

. The fort encloses a paved court surrounded by quarters for 388 men. Water was supplied by cisterns. The fort was initially armed with 34 guns. The fort was modernized in 1911, with additional fortifications in concrete, including two observation turrets in the fort's

caponier A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...

s with machine guns. In 1914 the fort contained no more than ten guns on the rampart and ten on the caponiers. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the fort fired on the Plateau d'Avron with ten guns of 12 and 15 cm caliber. In 1939 and 1940 the fort was used for anti-aircraft artillery. The fort's caserne was burned in July 1944. The Fort de Champigny was taken out of military service in 1965. It was placed on the Supplemental Inventory of the

Monuments Historiques ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

in 1979. It has been under restoration since 1984, and is to serve as a youth center.

References

External links

Fort at Champigny-sur-Marne
at Chemins de mémoire {{DEFAULTSORT:Champigny, Fort de Fortifications of Paris Séré de Rivières system Buildings and structures in Val-de-Marne

See also

References

External links