The Fortress of Charlemont (french: Fort de Charlemont) is a French stronghold located near the
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
border on the
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
. It is a
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.
In ...
, surrounded by a network of
outwork
An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...
s, including the connecting forts (Givet and the Mont d'Hours). It dominates the town of
Givet
Givet () (german: Gibet Walloon: ''Djivet'') is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France surrounded on three sides by the Belgian border.
It lies on the river Meuse where Emperor Charles V built the fortress of Charlemont. It ...
and when in use as a working fortress controlled the valley of the Meuse.
File:Givet-FR-08-Charlemont-07.jpg, Destruction within the fort after 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 ...
.
File:Givet2.JPG, view of the fort from within Givet.
File:Tour Maugis Porte 03337.JPG , The Maugis Tower.
File:Entre Condé Charlemont chemin couvert 03239.JPG, Between Condé Charlemont Covered Path.
File:Fort Condé porte 03244.jpg, Entrance to Fort Condé.
File:Toilettes et escalier en pas de souris 03309.JPG, Staircase, the only access point from the glacis
A glacis (; ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in bastion fort, early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More genera ...
to the fort.
See also
*
Reduction of the French fortresses in 1815
After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and the advance on Paris by the Coalition armies during the months of June and July 1815, although they besieged and took some towns and fortresses as they advance, they bypassed many of them ...
— this fortress was the last to surrender to the Coalition.
*
Meuse Citadels
The Meuse citadels or Mosane citadels (french: Citadelles mosanes) are a group of forts situated along the Meuse river in southern Belgian region of Wallonia. The citadels were originally intended to defend the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and Cou ...
— a group of forts situated along the Meuse river in southern Belgium.
Notes
References
*
*
Charlemont
Buildings and structures in Ardennes (department)
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