The Fort de la Chartreuse, which dominates the Amercœur neighborhood of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, was built between 1817 and 1823 to defend the city.

History

The fort is built on a strategic height that dominates the valley of 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 ...

, which had been occupied by a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

(''Ordre des Chartreux'') monastery until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. The fort was built by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, who at the time administered southern Belgium. After the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...

, the Kingdom of Belgium used Fort de la Chartreuse as a barracks for the

Fortified Position of Liège A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, having built twelve new forts around the city in the late 19th century as part of the country's overall National Redoubt. In 1891 a royal decree downgraded the fort and the nearby

Citadel of Liège The Citadel of Liège was the central fortification of the strategic Belgian city of Liège, Wallonia until the end of the 19th century. It is located in the Sainte-Walburge neighborhood, above the Meuse valley. The first citadel was built on ...

, following the construction of twelve modern forts surrounding Liége. The fort was thereafter used as a barracks. From 1914 to 1918 the Germans used it as a prison, and again from 1940 to 1944. In 1944-1945 it was used by the Americans as a military hospital. The Belgian army left the site in 1988. File:Cornillon et Chartreuse, Liège détail plan Jean Blaeu.JPG, Fort de la Chartreuse on Mont Cornillon (right) File:Plan fort chartreuse.jpg, Plan of Fort de la Chartreuse File:Chartreuse redan fort.jpg, Entry in a

redan Redan (a French word for "projection", "salient") is a feature of fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle towards an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material. The redan developed from the lunette, ...

of Fort de la Chartreuse

Environment

The greater part of the fort occupies a green space that is being reforested. The ramparts and

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 ...

are covered with vegetation.

References

Bibliography

* Brasseur, Th. (1993)
La Chartreuse : forteresse hollandaise en sursis.
Centre Nature & Patrimoine, Flémalle. * Brasseur, Th. (1994)

Centre Nature & Patrimoine, Flémalle. * Liénard, J.(2000). Le fort de la Chartreuse, création hollandaise (1818-1823) à Liège. Bulletin d'information du C.L.H.A.M., 9 : 5-28. * Loxhay, J. (1995). Le fort de la Chartreuse. Historique de la genèse à nos jours. PIMM'S Edition, Liège. * Metzmacher, M. (1990). Les milieux semi-naturels: des outils pour concilier loisirs et éducation à la nature. Le cas des milieux semi-naturels urbains et péri-urbains. ''In'' : Actes du colloque "Gérer la nature?", Travaux Conservation de la nature, 15/2 :593-606.

External links

*

Virtual Tour, Fort de la Chartreuse Liège, 2014

Photos from abandoned Fort de la Chartreuse on Lost-Place.org
{{in lang, de Fortifications of Liège Buildings and structures in Liège Tourist attractions in Liège