Quélern is a hamlet in

Roscanvel Roscanvel (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. History List of Mayors Population Inhabitants of Roscanvel are called in French ''Roscanvelistes''. See also * Quélern *Communes of the F ...

, in the department of

Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

), in western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Fortifications

Fortified lines

The Quélern lines defended the entrance to the

goulet de Brest The Goulet de Brest (; ) is a 3-km-long strait linking the roadstead of Brest to the Atlantic Ocean. Only 1.8 km wide, the is situated between the Pointe du Petit Minou and the Pointe du Portzic to the north and the îlot des Capucins and t ...

against capture from behind the defences of the Roscanvel peninsula. They are 1.22 km long and form the only surviving non-urban line of fortifications in

. Work on them was begun in 1695 by Vauban himself (they are still sometimes known as the Vauban system) and they were improved from 1777 to 1785 due to the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, in expectation of British action against the port of Brest. The lines still serve a strong geostrategic function and the area is still military land with no public access.View of the lines (GoogleMaps)
/ref> An upper gate known as porte de Camaret and a lower gate known as porte de Crozon were the only two ways through the wall until their destruction, possibly between 1940 and 1944.

Redoubt

From 1852 to 1854, a fort known as the réduit de Quélern was built to plans by Vauban, with modifications. It is a square-plan fort with bastions and surrounded by a dry moat. Like the lines, it is still

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

property and thus not open to the public.

Fortifications

Fortified lines

Redoubt

References

External links