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Origin and history

The citadel of Calais was built from 1564 on the order of King Francis II, replacing a 13th century medieval castle razed for the occasion. Designed by engineers Giacomo Castriotto and Jean Errard de Bar-le-Duc, it included modern bastions, a half-moon (L'Hermitage) and fortified doors such as the Neptune Gate. A whole neighborhood, including the church of St. Nicholas, was destroyed for its construction, only the hotel of Escalles being spared to house the commander.

In 1596, during the Franco-Spanish war, the citadel was besieged by Archduke Albert of Austria. Despite a fierce resistance led by the Black knight (Michel Patras de Campaigno), the northeastern bastion ceded, and Calais temporarily fell into the Spanish hands until the Treaty of Vervins (1598). This siege marked a bloody episode, with looting and massacres carried out by enemy troops.

In the 17th century, the citadel became a major issue for French sovereigns. Richelieu built an arsenal, underground and mills there in 1632, while Vauban, under Louis XIV, strengthened his fortifications after Dunkirk's reconquest (1658). She also served as a prison, as for Officer Claude de Forbin in 1691. A Saint-Nicolas church, rebuilt in 1605, functioned there until the Revolution.

During World War II, the citadel was bombed in 1940 by German artillery. After 36 hours of siege, it fell on 26 May, despite heroic resistance. The Germans turned it into an ammunition depot and bunker, later integrating it into the Atlantic Wall (1944) as a Poseidon resistance nest. The destruction was total, leaving no buildings standing.

In the 19th century, the citadel was adapted to modern military uses: barracks for 1,000 men, powder shops (Séré de Rivières system), and stables doubled on the southern rampart. After 1945, it was converted into a sports complex (Stade du Souvenir), sheltering football fields, athletics and shooting, while retaining remains classified as the gates of Boulogne and Hermitage (historical monuments since 1939 and 1990).

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