Neuf Brisach, France - June 16, 2012

Still in the Haut-Rhin department of the Alsace we stopped at an odd little town called Neuf Brisach, population 2,200 or so, its name taken from the town of Breisach just three miles away across the Rhine in Germany. After Breisach was lost to the Habsburgs in 1697, this fortified town was built by the French to guard the border. Louis XIV had his vaunted military engineer Vauban design the project and work started in 1698.
This turned out to be Vauban's last work - he died in 1707 and construction was actually completed by Louis de Cormontaigne. The layout represented the then current "ideal city" with a regular square grid street pattern inside an octagonal fortification.

A 4 block by 4 block area was set aside at the center for the central square. Elsewhere, individual blocks were offered for private development for expensive houses in private gardens or as properties for commercial rent. Simpler housing was provided in long tenement blocks, built inside each curtain wall, which also had the effect of shielding the better houses from the risk of cannon fire. Access was provided by large gateways in the four principal curtain walls.
The outer earthworks were deep and occupied a greater area than the city itself. Although the city suffered some damage in WWII, it still represents a very clear example of the latest in fortification work at the beginning of the eighteenth century and Neuf-Brisach was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Fortified or not, this "new" town has changed hands five times in the 300 years or so of its existence. More images here.

Le Quesnoy, France - July 11, 2011

The people of Le Quesnoy have an enduring friendship with New Zealand...

A few days before the WWI Armistice, on 4 November 1918, a small town in the north of France, Le Quesnoy, was liberated from four years of German occupation by New Zealand forces. The town had been occupied by 1,500 Germans who refused to give themselves up. 400 soldiers from the New Zealand division were wounded, 93 of these soldiers died and were buried in Le Quesnoy’s local cemetery.

So goes the history of this fortified border city.
Founded about 1150 by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut, the town went on to serve as a royal residence for 4 centuries. Charles V had the original fortifications modified in the 16th century and they were dismantled entirely under Louis XIV who commissined Vauban to overhaul the city during the years 1668 to 1673.
The Belfry and the Town Hall were built in 1583. In the center of the Belfry there was a room reserved for guards and the bells were rung for sunrise, the opening and closing of work, and for curfew. On the top floor of the Belfry was a watchman's lodge from where the approach of an enemy, or fire could be detected in a timely manner.
During WWII the town suffered several attacks and on May 19, 1940 the belfry was hit by an incendiary bomb. The top section containing the clock and the bells collapsed into the flames and the fire spread to the town hall. The belfry was restored after the war and today the carillon, with 48 bells, plays different tunes throughout the day. Pictures here.

Givet, France - June 23, 2010

Thinking about lunch on our way to Tournai we noted a little town with an interesting layout right on the Belgian border, thus Givet became our lunch stop. Givet is a small commune in the Ardennes department of the Champagne-Ardennes region and it languishes on the left bank of the river Meuse. Local legend has it that Saint Hubert lived there in 720 CE and performed a miracle while he was in town.
Like many other towns and cities along this border area, Givet had belonged to various countries at one time or another before it first became part of France in 1678. In WWII, it was occupied by the Germans from May 1940 until September 1944. The German Ardennes Offensive had  targeted Givet and its crossing of the Meuse making it a hot-spot in the end run of the war. The British, under Montgomery, organized a last-ditch defense, and on 24 December 1944, the German drive was stopped about 6 miles from Givet. By this time, 11,000 American soldiers were billeted in the ancient Charlemont fortress barracks that had been built by Vauban 300 years earlier.
A gracefully aging town exporting pencils and tobacco pipes, there are more Givet pictures here.

Entrevaux, France - June 12, 2010

Cannes, on the south coast of France, is a somewhat tired and genteel glamour-has-been that looks out onto the sunny Mediterranean Sea and silently ages. Fifty to sixty miles north of Cannes, in the tiny city of Entrevaux, one could be on another planet so stark are the differences. A narrow road follows the gorge of the river Var between Annot and Puget-Théniers and along the way runs through Entrevaux with its population of less than 1000 souls. 

Our campsite was a mile or two upriver from the city and a pleasant foot path led down to the Porte de France, one of the entry points into the inner city. Entrevaux, founded in the 11th century on a rocky spur at a bend in the river, fell to the troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1536.
Later in the 16th century, a new cathedral was constructed, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and in 1658 the bridge, guarded by towers and a portcullis, known as  Porte Royale, was constructed over the river.
The military architect Vauban was called on to further fortify the town in 1690 and, although never fully completed, the citadel perched high above the town was strengthened and a protected walkway was constructed up the side of the mountain from the town. The citadel was last used during World War I as a prison for German officers.
In spite of overcast and cool weather we had a great day exploring this unique little burg. Check out more pictures here.

May 28th, 2009 - Briançon, France

Just three miles west of La Vachette is the vibrant city of Briançon. Built at the confluence of the Durance and Guisanne rivers, its function as an Alpine crossing point between France and Italy fairly guaranteed its historic importance in medieval times. Briançon enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine each year and, at an altitude of around 4,000 feet, it is the highest town in the entire European Union.
Today there are essentially two cities - the upper one that preserves the 17th century Vauban fortifications and the lower city that extends along the banks of the River Durance and contains, among other features, the market. Total population is around 12,000.Briançon was granted municipal privileges by a charter signed by Dauphin Humbert II in 1343. In 1692 Louis XIV's omnipotent military engineer Vauban, reinforced the town walls and began a sequence of fortified extensions further and further up into the mountains. This trend actually continued into the 1930s when Briançon became part of the Maginot line in preparation for WWII.Two of the major streets in the old town have a sizeable gutter running down the center, known as gargouilles, that originally carried effluents down to the rivers.This less than attractive cargo has since been replaced by wholesome mountain water. Only one other town in France - St Martin-Vésubie in the Alpes-Maritimes - has a similar feature.
If you ever find yourself in this part of France do give Briançon a look. To see more now, click here.