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Origin and history

The Fort of Bois-l'Abbé, located at Uxegney in the Great East, is a River Séré fortification built between 1884 and 1885. Integrated into the stronghold of Epinal, it illustrates the defensive systems of Eastern France at the end of the 19th century. Its trapezoidal architecture, double capons and 30-ton powder shop reflect the military standards of the time. Unlike other forts, he did not undergo any major modernization after 1885, thus maintaining his original state, including his operational bread ovens and well topped by a pulsating pump.

The fort briefly bore the name of Fort Poniatowski in 1887, in tribute to the Polish Marshal Józef Antoni Poniatowski, before returning to his initial name a few months later. Its strategic role declined after the torpedo crisis (1885), but it initially monitored the north-west axes of the Epinal, complementing the strong neighbour of Uxegney. Abandoned in the 20th century, it was saved by the association ARFUPE, which has restored it since 1995. Today, he visits exceptionally, revealing singularities such as his monumental stairs or his unique machine gun supports in France.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2002, the fort is distinguished by the quality of its masonries in local sandstone and the preservation of its equipment: rocking drawbridge, glass lanterns, and even Goux edicles in the courtyard. Its toponym, attested from the 11th century in the form of Bois-Labbé, evokes a wooded area and a possible medieval domain. The association ARFUPE organizes visits there on 14 July and during Heritage Days, highlighting this rare military heritage.

Among its technical features, the fort allows sheltered traffic between all its premises, a rarity for the time. Its caponières are home to 1900 model machine guns, unique in France, and its powder shop features an atypical entrance airlock, with a light well and a step access. The restoration works in progress, carried out with a remarkable attention to detail, have given life to elements such as the Lamoureux ovens or a François-Vaillant furnace of 1903, restored by high school students from Remiremont.

The site also preserves traces of its original armament: four 120 mm guns and two 90 mm guns, positioned on the rider to monitor the roads coming from Domèvre-sur-Avière and the edges of the forest of the Souche. Despite its small size, the fort offers unexpected architectural complexity, with vaults and masonries of exceptional quality. Its history reflects the strategic developments of the late nineteenth century, marked by the gradual abandonment of the unmodernized forts after 1885.

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