Questel Fort () is a

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 ...

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

. It is a fortified structure of the Vauban type. It forms a closed square, with the main entry point placed on the least exposed side. This large quadrangle, 100 meters wide, is located between Fort Keranroux (1.5 km south) and Fort Penfeld (1 km to the North-east), and is also part of the same fortifications as

Fort Montbarey The Fort Montbarey is a fortified stronghold, built between 1777 and 1784, to the west of Brest. The fort is similar to the related Questel Fort. History This stronghold, built because Louis XVI of France wanted to make Brest impregnable, w ...

. The Fort du Questel monitors the valleys of the Moulin du Buis to prevent any enemies from becoming established and bombarding the city and harbor. Surrounded by deep moats and accessed by a drawbridge, it consists of a masonry wall (scarp), topped by a

chemin de ronde A ''chemin de ronde'' ( French, "round path"' or "patrol path"; ), also called an allure, alure or, more prosaically, a wall-walk, is a raised protected walkway behind a castle battlement. In early fortifications, high castle walls were difficu ...

, or covered path for

musketeer A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pre ...

s. This path is itself dominated by an earthen

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

, angled to support

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 ...

(26 guns total). The garrison of about 200 men had access to various galleries, including two large ones underground that connect the central courtyard to the

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

s. Note also the presence of toilet facilities, which at the time of Vauban were still a privilege. Built on a six-hectare site, the Fort du Questel dominates the valley of Allégoet, a tributary of the

Penfeld The Penfeld,The ''d'' was added in the 17th century by a naval engineer influenced by the German word ''feld'' - the name is masculine in the Breton language. (Breton: ''Penfell'') is a French coastal river. The town of Brest, in Finistère, has g ...

. This site is now part of a set of refurbished natural spaces that lead to the banks of the Penfeld by a track passing in front of the Cavale Blanche hospital. Onsite, the fortress offers walks through its sheltered green moat and its underground galleries, staircases, scarps and

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 ...

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 cle ...

and fresh greenery nearby.

Gallery

File:Porte du fort du Questel-BREST.jpg, Front gate File:Fort du Questel, coté est-BREST.jpg, East side of fort (1783)

References

Bibliography

* {{coord, 48.4006, N, 4.5335, W, source:wikidata, display=title Brest, France History of Brest, France Fortifications of Brest, France Vauban fortifications in France Fortifications articles needing attention to supporting materials 18th-century fortifications Redoubts Fortification lines 18th-century architecture in France