Gravelle Stronghold

The redoute de Gravelle (''Gravelle

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

'') is a fort in

Joinville-le-Pont Joinville-le-Pont () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History The commune was created in 1791 under the name La Branche-du-Pont-de-Saint-Maur (literally "The Branch of Saint-Maur ...

, situated to the south-east of

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...

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 ...

. Built under

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate List of French monarchs#House of Orléans, July Monarchy (1830–1848), monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, h ...

, from 1968 it housed the École nationale de police de Paris (ENPP), before becoming an illegal immigrants detention centre. Its south face is decorated with

Auguste Arnaud Charles Auguste Arnaud (22 August 1825 – 6 September 1883), known as Auguste Arnaud was a French sculptor. Life Arnaud was born at La Rochelle. A student of the École des Beaux-Arts at Angers, he first came to Paris thanks to a scholarshi ...

's statue of a skirmisher, formerly placed next to one of a zouave on the old

pont de l'Alma The Pont de l'Alma ( en, Alma Bridge) is a road bridge in Paris, France, across the Seine. It was named to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, in which the Ottoman-Franco-British alliance achieved victory over the Russian army ...

, but moved to its present position after the construction of the

A4 autoroute The A4 Autoroute, also known as autoroute de l'Est (), is a French ''Controlled-access highway, autoroute'' that travels between the cities of Paris and Strasbourg. It forms parts of European routes European route E25, E25 and European route E5 ...

in 1973. The statue is visible from the A4. {{DEFAULTSORT:Redoute De Gravelle History of Paris Fortifications of Paris Redoubts Buildings and structures in Val-de-Marne