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Fort L'Écluse
Fort l'Écluse, or the Fort de l'Écluse, is a military fort in Léaz, Ain, close to Collonges in Eastern France. It commands the Rhône Valley as a natural entrance into France from Switzerland between the Vuache and the Jura Mountains. The fort, which was established by a Duke of Savoy, was completed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban during the reign of King Louis XIV. It was destroyed by the Austrians in 1815, but rebuilt by the French; at the same time it was considerably strengthened and heightened. The high-road intersects a portion of this fortification. Description and construction The lower fort (''fort inférieur''), near the level of the Rhône, was rebuilt between 1816 and 1828. The ''route nationale'' 84 passed through the fort until 1939 when it was relocated to a tunnel through the rock behind the fort, defended by a casemate in the tunnel built as part of the Maginot Line fortification program. The casemate was intended to receive 47mm anti-tank guns, but was nev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort L Ecluse
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'' ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its ' cyclopean' walls). A Greek '' phrourion'' was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the Roman castellum or English fortress. These constructions mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and borders. Though smaller than a real fortress, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
