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 Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

wanted to make Brest impregnable, was the most important link in the defense of the city's west side, designed for 500-600 soldiers. This fort was used by the Germans in 1944, who installed a parachute battalion during the siege of Brest by the Americans. After many assaults and heavy use of tanks and

flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World Wa ...

s, the garrison surrendered on 16 September 1944. Rebuilt after World War II, during the Cold War Fort Montbarey hosted the DCA (Defense Against Aircraft) command center of the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

of Brest and had in its yard two large bunkers. It also had, at this time, a search radar for aircraft. These facilities were decommissioned in the late 1960s. In 1984 Fort Montbarey was developed by the Navy into a museum on the history of Finistère during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, featuring the Resistance effort. An exhibition on "Brest in ruins" is also presented, as well as a "wagon of death" used in the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

and many American vehicles and parts from the DCA (Defence Against Aviation) era, and a British

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, ...

. The museum also manages over 10,000 files and documents on the Resistance, and records on soldiers and victims of the Second World War. It annually hosts more than 10,000 visitors. The fort is one of a series of strongholds that surround Brest, including Questel Fort.

Proposed themes

* Visiting a stronghold of Louis XVI * Gallery 10000

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

died for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

* Tribute to fallen World War Allies * Photos of Brest in ruins * Films about Brest at war * The wagon used in the deportation of Jews during the Holocaust. * Military vehicles classic * Various materials of the war 39/45 * Exhibitions * Models of battle scenes

Gallery photos

File:M3 Halftrack in Fort Montbarey-Brest.JPG, M3 Halftrack File:Museum of the defense of Brest fortress 6th room.JPG, Interior of Museum File:Fort Montbarey1.JPG, Churchill tank File:Forte Montbarey2.JPG, Fort Montbarey

References

Bibliography

External links

Presentation on the sitecheminsdememoire.gouv.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montbarey, Fort History of Brest, France Brest, France Fortifications of Brest, France 18th-century fortifications Fortification lines Redoubts Fortifications articles needing attention to referencing and citation Vauban fortifications in France Buildings and structures in Finistère