Now the property of the Communication and Audiovisual Production Company for the Department of Defence (E.C.P.A.D), the fort at Ivry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne), constructed between 1841 and 1845, was modified after the war of 1870 in order to defend Paris. It is part of the first line in Séré de Rivières' system.

Constructed between 1841 and 1845, the fort was equipped in 1870 with 94 artillery pieces and commanded by Sea Captain Krantz. It was defended by a marine battalion that had come from Brest. On the 29th and 30th November, the fort supported the attacks from the outposts of the 6th Prussian corps to the north of Choisy-le-Roi, Thiais and Chevilly-la-Rue. On the 30th these three villages received 5,500 shells in a single day. The besieging troops owe their salvation to the numerous trenches. The French abandoned the captured positions on the evening of the 30th. The fort was occupied by the 6th Prussian corps from the 29th January until the 20th March 1871. A battery of 21 cm mortars was brought into the gorge to fire on the central section and batteries of 15 cm cannons to bombard Paris in the event that fighting should start again. The townspeople occupied the fort after the departure of the Prussians, with Colonel Rogowski in command of the confederate garrison. Faced with the threat of an attack by troops from the 3rd Versailles corps, the Confederates evacuated the fort during the night of the 24th to 25th May, blowing up a munitions depot and destroying nine of the casemates between the 3rd and 4th sides.
The fort is a pentagon with 5 bastions. It is built on underground galleries; only one of the bastions is not entrenched in the foundation piers. The galleries (more than 2 km) were planned out between 1852 and 1860 to keep watch over these piers and serve as shelters from bombardments (the ceilings of these galleries are 6 m thick). During the works, 2 battalions from the 65th Line Regiment were used, housed in an army camp close to the fort. The dominant position of the fort is clearly visible from the crossroads to the north of the entrance. The entrance accommodates two guardhouses in five vaulted casemates. There are also three postern gates, of which 2 are next to the latrines, along the other sides. The ramparts and bastions are bridged by about fifty cross sections, including 28 with vaulted shelters. The rampart between bastions 3 and 4 protects 18 casemates; one of them had a bread oven. The flanks adjacent to the bastions have gun casements for the infantry. The four other ramparts have a scarp with protected walkway for the infantry. The parade ground is surrounded by a large barracks for the troops and two houses for officers. These buildings were rebuilt in 1872. The 2 gunpowder magazines have an internal surface area of 142 m2. The fort is served by 3 wells. The building is faced in millstone, with cut stone for the stays and window and door surrounds. The buildings have tiled or zinc roofs. The arches of the casemates and magazines are in stone. The ditches between bastions 1, 2, 3 and 4 are still preserved. To the west, a police barracks occupies the place of the ditches. On the glacis there are now gardens, a college, a school, some houses and other buildings. Access is still via a casemate guardhouse. The rampart has kept its cross sections and casemates, although the latter have been converted into offices. The three barracks rebuilt after 1872 have been redeveloped, along with the two gunpowder magazines dating from 1847.
The premises now house the Communication and Audiovisual Production Company for the Department of Defence (E.C.P.A.D). They store the audio-visual archives of the military history of France from 1900 to the modern day, through 16,800 films and videos and more than 3.5 million de photographs. The first world war collection collates all the pictures and films made by the Armed Forces Photographic and Cinematographic Division (SPCA) from 1915, the date it was established, to 1919 when it was suspended. This collection is made up of images directly linked to: fighting and its aftermath: the French front and the Eastern front, the lives of poilus (a slang term fro a French soldier), the army medical corps, prisoners and what remains of the battlefields; images of the economic effort of the country and its colonies; images of political and diplomatic life: official visits of heads of state or foreign delegations, the Treaty of Versailles etc. pictures and works of art, monuments and museums and photographs taken in anticipation of reconstruction. The second world war collection collates all the documents issued by the various forces represented: the phony war documents the life of the French armies in the countryside, from the North Sea to the Italian border, between the declaration of war and the start of the French campaign; Vichy is concerned with the actions of the government and the Armistice Army, mainly in the free zone in North Africa before the allied landings; The Liberating Army follows the main fighting that took place from North Africa to Europe, from Algiers in November 1942 until the liberation of the concentration camps in 1945.
The German collection is especially large, due to the great number of operational theatres illustrated along the eastern front and through the diversity in the subjects covered in the military field (scenes of fighting and training, the lives of units on the front, the repression of people in the east and the manufacture of weapons) and in everyday life. Managed by the Armed Forces Cinematographic Division (SCA) which was united after the war, the Indochina war collection groups together Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina, Cambodia and Laos. Although military documentaries, most of which were about the land army, represent the main subject of this collection, there are also documents describing the way of life, habitat and special customs of the various ethnic groups. Many documents belonging to this collection illustrate French action in the colonies: keeping order, industrial and agricultural development, the construction of schools, housing and clinics and the establishment of administrative frameworks. They demonstrate approval of French presence in Indochina and Algeria. The external operations collection. Protecting France's fundamental interests can lead to the intervention of the armed forces outside their national territory. That is why we talk about external operations, carried out within the framework of international mandates, such as NATO and the UN. The main external operations covered by the ECPAD since 1945 are the Korean war (1952-1953), the Lebanon (1978-1984), Chad (1978-1987), Cambodia (1991-1993), the Gulf War (1991), Bosnia-Herzegovina (since 1992), Rwanda (1994), Kosovo and Macedonia (since 1998), the Ivory Coast and Afghanistan (since 2001).
Fort at Ivry-sur-Seine 2-8 route du Fort 94205 Ivry-sur-Seine Remembrance tourist information Mairie d'Ivry Esplanade Georges Marrane 94205 Ivry-sur-Seine cedex Tel.: 0149.60.25.08 Communication and Audiovisual Production Company for the Department of Defence (ECPAD) Tel: 01.49.60.52.00 Fax: 01.49.60.52.06 e-mail: ecpad@ecpad.fr or mediatheque@ecpad.fr

The ten centuries of history of this fortress, the first constructions of which date from 1034, present developments made in defences on a 2-hectare site: the solid towers of the Middle Ages, the bastions from Vauban's era and the modern fort built in front of the château by Joffre in 1879.

Three ditches with drawbridges protect a world of prisons, from the dungeon which housed the legendary Berthe de Joux to the cells where Mirabeu, Kleist and Toussaint Louverture were confined.

A particularly memorable feature of the site is a large well, a vertiginous cylinder dug out of the rock.

A rich museum of weapons from the 18th and 19th centuries, which holds several particularly rare pieces, is a perfect complement to the visit.

In addition to the various exhibitions, visitors will see a scale model of the château measuring 3.64m by 1.76m complete with audio commentary.

Visits, talks, evening events and the Nuits de Joux festival in July-August are organised.

Joux Château

25300 La Cluse-et-Mijoux

Tel: +33 (0)3 81 69 47 95

e-mail: ccl-chateaudejoux@orange.fr

Official Joux Château website

The citadel extends over more than 10ha and has ramparts 4km long. The citadel is composed of around a dozen buildings totalling over 10,000m2 of floor space, not counting the many blockhouses. Built from 1549, it still has an impressive system of ditches. Belle-Ile became the property of the crown in 1661 after the arrest of superintendent Nicolas Fouquet. In 1683, Vauban was charged with fortifying this island. It was occupied by the English from 1761 to 1763. In the 19th century, the citadel was used as a penal colony for prisoners of war and then political prisoners before becoming a reception centre for refugees of the Spanish Civil War at the end of the 1930s. From July 1940, the island was occupied by the Germans. It was to be one of last parts of France to be liberated as it was part of the famous "Lorient pocket". The French government sold the citadel in 1960, by which time it had fallen into a state of serious disrepair.

Creation of an historical museum in 1970 devoted to Belle-Ile-en-Mer on the site of the dungeon's ancient blockhouses. Citadelle Vauban 56360 Le Palais Tel: 02 97 31 85 54 Fax: 02 97 31 89 47 Rates Free visit: adult: 6.50 € 12 to 16 years: 3.50 € - 12: Free Group: 5 € Guided Tour: Adults: 8 € 12 to 16 years: 5 € - 12: Free Open daily all year July-August: 9h/19h from 01/09 to 31/10 and from 01/04 to 30/06: 9h30/18h from 01/11 to 31/03: 9h30/17h

A castle was built here by the count of Hainaut in the 12th century. The entrance door and the sandstone cellars remain. The first strongholds, built by order of Charles Quint, date from 1528. After the city was taken by Turenne in 1657, Vauban began to modernise it in 1668. He created four pools with which to flood the ditches and remodelled the southern flank. The Saint-Martin and Gard strongholds are representative of Vauban's first system. In the 18th century, a large hornwork structure was erected to the east of Porte Fauroeulx.

In 1881, the fort was further strengthened.

The well-preserved enclosure has the shape of an irregular octagon. It is defended by eight bastions and has been fully restored. There are two walking circuits open to the public:

- The ramparts: hiking card available from the Conseil Général du Nord.

- Discovery of the trees on the ramparts of Le Quesnoy: Circuit designed by the Parc Naturel Régional de L'Avesnois.

As you walk around the fortifications, stopping to read the educational panels, you can admire the eight bastions and seventeen outwork constructions in the ditches. Worthy of mention are the 18th century gunpowder store, the medieval tower of Count Baudouin, the Porte Fauroeulx, the Fauroeulx hornwork from the 18th century and five bastions: royal, imperial, green, Gard and Saint-Martin. Outside, the Pont-Rouge pool which was used to fill the ditches is now a watersport site.

Every year during the Heritage Days, a military encampment of the revolutionary armies, animates the fortified site for two days, with over 400 participants. An association called "Le Cercle Historique Quercitain" is researching the past of Le Quesnoy and its two cantons. It has premises in the Cernay centre, or the Château Marguerite de Bourgogne, where it welcomes groups to look around two exhibition rooms covering the history of the fortification. Since 1987, the fortified cities have had a regional day on the last Sunday of April, and some citadels, which are now military barracks, regularly open their doors to the public. Lastly, the route of fortified cities, launched in 1993, gives the public the chance to discover these cities, armed with a map and explanation cards available from the Association des villes fortifiées and in the tourist offices of Ambleteuse, Arras, Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Bergues, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Cambrai, Condé-sur-Escaut, Gravelines, Le Quesnoy, Lille, Maubeuge, Montreuil-sur-Mer and Saint-Omer.

This war memorial commemorates the victory of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, which liberated Le Quesnoy on 4 November 1918 from the German garrison which had occupied the town for four years. The New Zealanders climbed the fortifications with ladders, just like in the Middle Ages.

In 1999, Le Quesnoy opened the "Centre de documentation relatif à la libération de la ville en 1918", a documentation centre concerning the town's liberation in 1918. Le Quesnoy has become the main site for World War 1 commemorations for New Zealand in France, with a ceremony organised by the ambassador of New Zealand in Paris, the local authorities and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. During these ceremonies, a parade including the mayor and local authorities, war veterans, visitors and people from the region crosses the town up to the ramparts and the New Zealand war memorial of 1923 to lay a wreath. The procession then moves towards the French war memorial to lay another wreath. The ceremony ends at the town hall, where a tribal sculpture "teko teko maori" perpetuates the memory.

New Zealand is still officially represented at Le Quesnoy during commemorations for the Armistice, on 11 November. New Zealand parliament officials and other groups, such as the New Zealand rugby team, have been to this town several times. Le Quesnoy and Cambridge in New Zealand were twinned in 1999.

Association des villes fortifiées

Hôtel de Ville Rue Maréchal Joffre 59530 Le Quesnoy

Tel.: +33 3.27.47.55.54
 

Le Quesnoy Tourist Information Office

Tel.: +33 3.27.20.54.70

e-mail : OTSI.le.quesnoy@wanadoo.fr

Quizz : Forts and citadels

The museum consists of 12 halls: the hall dedicated to World War I, the hall dedicated to post-war France, the hall dedicated to the France 1940 campaign, two halls on World War II (the Allies - the Axis), the hall devoted to the Warsaw Pact, the curiosities hall, the cannon hall, the engines hall, the contemporary hall, the models hall and the historical hall. The museum has also received monuments from the Berry-au-Bac museum, in particular those of General Estienne, the "Father of Tanks", whose name has been given to the Musée des Blindés.

The museum retraces the history of armoured vehicles and their technical development throughout the world from 1917 to the present day. There are 200 tanks on display. The museum contains almost all of the prototypes tested as well as armoured engines used by the French armed forced since 1917. Almost all of the tanks from 1940 are displayed at the museum: the AMD 178 Panhard and AMR 35 armoured cars, the FCM tank (Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée), the Renault R 35 and R 39, the Hotchkiss H 35 and H 39, the famous SOMUA tank (Société d'Outillage Militaire et d'Usinage d'Armement), which created havoc for German tanks due to its mobility and weaponry, and the B1 bis tank, which was used by part of the 4th Reserve Armoured Division of General de Gaulle in Moncornet on 17 May 1940 and later in the first counter-attack in Abbeville. All of the US tanks that played a role in the victory of 1945 are also there: the Lee-Grant, Stuart, Sherman and its different versions, the Tank-Destroyer, Chaffee, the M8 and M20 armoured cars, etc. The museum also has a display of German tanks dating from World War II to the present day: the Panzer II, III, IV, Panther, Jagdpanther, a Royal Tiger weighing 70 tonnes, a unique and fully restored model, up to the most recent examples, the Leopard I and Leopard II, not to mention numerous models developed during the war. England is also represented by numerous tanks, such as the Churchill and more recent additions to the museum's collection, the Mathilda and the Valentine. Finally, the museum contains all tanks designed in France since 1944, not to mention the "Leclerc".
- Opening hours: Spring - Summer: 9:30 to 18:30 Autumn - Winter: 10:00 to 17:00 - Prices: Adults: €5.50. Children 7 to 13 years of age: €3. Group (more than 10 people): €4. - Spacious parking area for cars and light vehicles - Souvenir shop - Large reception hall with a rest area (drinks machine) - Duration of visit - around 1h30. Open or guided tours for groups led by members of the armed forces on appointment - Map of the museum provided at the entrance; a book on the museum collection is available for €6.10

The fortifications of Saint-Malo encircle the enclosed part of the town for almost 2 km. From Saint Vincent Gate (which dates back to 1709) to the Saint Thomas Gate, each curtain is steeped in history and has a multitude of panoramic views over the Bay of Saint-Malo.

The fortifications of Saint-Malo have a particularly rich history. 1) The city only began to develop in the 12th century, with the fortifications dating back to medieval times. Saint-Malo was highly sought-after: under the reign of Duchess Anne, this town surrounded by ramparts was already a fortress. At the time of Jacques Cartier, the fortifications of Saint-Malo would be developed even more. The 17th and 18th centuries mark a period of great prosperity for the city, thanks to the healthy growth of commerce, and the city became even stronger. Vauban built new ramparts and many forts sprang up around the bay to defend the port. These fortifications would later help thwart the English landings of June and September 1758, at the time of the battle of Saint-Cast. 2) Saint-Malo is particularly badly hit in August 1944. Under orders from Hitler, Colonel Von Aulock transformed the glacis of Saint-Malo into a veritable fortress from 1942. For one week in August 1944, the city is caught in crossfire between German and American troops and is almost totally gutted by fire. 80% of the town is destroyed. Chateaubriand Square and the Magon de la Lande Hotel are the only districts that escape the flames. In fact, once the fire is finally extinguished, the only parts of the city still standing and almost completely intact are the 2km of ramparts.
This pirate city is the starting point of some of the most famous nautical competitions, such as the "Route du Rhum", and is renowned for its literary festivals, including "Etonnants Voyageurs" and "Quai des Bulles" and art festivals such as "Si Tous Les Ports du Monde". As well as hosting these important events, Saint-Malo is a town with a very special character where everyone can find the role that suits them best: spectator, actor, or just a person out for a stroll. Practical information Saint-Malo Tourism Office Esplanade Saint-Vincent, 35400 Saint-Malo Tel: +33 (0)8 25 16 02 00 Fax: +33 (0)2 99 56 67 00 E-mail: info@saint-malo-tourisme.com

Emm Church is the Parish church of Metzeral-Sondernach, an ancient place of pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin and a Memorial dedicated to soldiers of World War One (Haut-Rhin) who fell in the Vosges, notably at the Battle of Metzeral in June 1915.

Historical overview

The current Emm church and memorial is built on the site of a 15th-century chapel, which was destroyed during the Battle of Metzeral. It was built by Abbot Martin BÉHÉ(1887-1963).

From 1922 to 1923, a committee dedicated to the "Memory of Alsace" was formed, under the patronage of Mgr RUCH, Bishop of Strasbourg and General de POUYDRAGUIN, former major of the 47th division and former military governor of Strasbourg, members of which came from all over France. Charity sales were organised in France's large cities (Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux) and abroad (notably in Switzerland).

The building was consecrated on 4 October 1931 and the bells were consecrated on 3 July 1932. Both ceremonies took place in the presence of Mgr RUCH, General de POUYDRAGUIN, Madame la Général SERRET and many other well-known people.

Description

The main material is pink sandstone from the Vosges, from Rauscher d'Adamswiller quarries; this is the same material used for Strasbourg cathedral. A dedication in capital letters stands out on the harmonious façade: "A nos vaillants soldats, l'Alsace reconnaissante" (To our brave soldiers, to whom Alsace is grateful).
The bell tower is inspired by the tower on the old chapel of Fourvière, in memory of a charity sale in 1926 and has four listed bells. Along the nave, in the arcades which are 1.80 m high, there are plaques in yellow marble from Sienna on which the names of soldiers who fell in the Vosges are engraved. One window in particular recalls the sanctuary's vocation: above the side chapel, the stained-glass window known as the "Souvenir" window shows a soldier dying in the arms of a chaplain, to whom an angel brings the crown of the chosen.
A memorial mass is celebrated on the Sunday before 11 November with the participation of war veterans and their standard-bearer.

Emm Church

Colline de l'Emm (rue de l'Emm) 68380 METZERAL - SONDERNACH

Les Amis de l'Emm

18 rue du Hohneck 68380 METZERAL

Inaugurated in March 2011, in Marseille, the memorial of La Marseillaise traces, in a unique setting, the history of one of the strongest symbols of the Republic of France: La Marseillaise national anthem.

It spread as far as Montpellier, and the song, called "Chant de guerre des armées aux frontières" (war song of frontier-based armies) was sung in Marseille by a delegate of the Club des Amis de la Constitution, François Mireur, a future general. He coordinated the departure of volunteers from the Midi region for the front; he began singing the song during a banquet and it was received with great enthusiasm. The song was published and printed the following day and adopted by the federates of Marseille as a marching song.

These soldiers sang it triumphantly all the way to the Tuileries, on 30th July 1792. Parisians, without a care for the official title, gave the song a name, which would stick: La Marseillaise. This name expresses the unity of the fighting nation, from Strasbourg to the Midi, passing through Paris. On 14th July 1795, although rivalled by another song, "Le Réveil du Peuple" (the awakening of the people), La Marseillaise was declared the "national anthem" by the Convention.

It was banned under the Empire and the Restoration, but was revived and honoured during the 1830 Revolution. The fate of La Marseillaise is thus closely tied with the history of the French Republic. In 1879, Jules Grévy, President of the 3rd Republic, made this well-known and patriotic song the national hymn for France once and for all. The official version was adopted in 1887.

It was banned in the occupied zone in the Second World War, but La Marseillaise was reinstated as the national anthem under the 4th and 5th Republics, and written into article 2 of the Constitution.

Beyond its political posterity, La Marseillaise had a significant musical influence. In 1830, Berlioz composed an orchestral arrangement which he dedicated to Rouget de l'Isle, with the dedication "For everything which has a heart, a voice, and blood in its veins". In 1872, Franz Liszt composed a fantasy for piano to the tune of La Marseillaise. Igor Stravinsky made a transcription for the solo violin and Dimitri Chostakovitch used it for the music of the film, The New Babylon. Pierre Dupont, chief of music of the Republican Guard between 1927 and 1944, composed the official arrangement of the national anthem and it is version which is still in use. A number of artists, from opera singers to variety singers, have given their voice to this song and invented many different interpretations.

By creating a Memorial, the city of Marseille wanted to trace the history of the French national anthem from its origins and recall the active role of the people of Marseille in the French Revolution. The former Club des Jacobins was chosen for the site, as it wasn't far from here that Marseille federates left for Paris, in 1792, singing the revolutionary song.

The site covers an area of 300 m2 and is based on three themes. The Salle des Marseillaises shows visitors some of the different versions or variants of the revolutionary song and its interpretations (there are over 600), from its origin to the present day. In the Salle des Doléances, nine sculptures representing historic or fictional characters come to life one by one in a lively dialogue. Mirabeau, Moisson, La Cayolle, etc., comment, from Marseille, on the French Revolution and the role played by the city's residents during these events. Lastly, in the Salle du Jeu de paume, visitors are plunged into the time of the revolution thanks to multimedia equipment with images and sound. They can experience the march of the federates to Paris, to the rhythm of La Marseillaise.

In December 2013, the town council voted for the Memorial of La Marseillaise to be attached to the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille.

Memorial of La Marseillaise

23-25 rue Thubaneau 13001 Marseille

Tel.: +33 (0)4 91 91 91 96

Open daily from 10 am to 7 pm