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Bezel of Trois-Châtels à Besançon dans le Doubs

Bezel of Trois-Châtels

    9B Chemin de la Chapelle des Buis
    25000 Besançon
Private property
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Lunette de Trois-Châtels
Crédit photo : Toufik-de-planoise - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1700
1800
1900
2000
1674
Reconquest of Franche-Comté
1791-1794
Initial construction
Début XIXe siècle
Reconstruction
7 septembre 1944
Release of Besançon
28 décembre 1995
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Bezel (Case IT 59, 60): entry by order of 28 December 1995; The following parts of the urban enclosure, as legended on the plane annexed to the decree: On the left bank of the Doubs: The round road extending from the gate of Rivotte to the street of the Fusillés of the Resistance, located suburb Rivotte, on Parcel No. 42a and No. 42b, appearing in the cadastre, section DK; the buried remains of the counterscarp of the bastioned tower of Rivotte and the ground, situated suburb Rivotte, in the suburbs of Parcel No. 75, appearing in the cadastre section AK, of Parcel No. 107, appearing in the cadastre section AK, of Parcel No. 109, appearing in the cadastre section DK, and of Parcel No. 110, appearing in the cadastre section DK, and under Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on the non-cadastre public domain, appearing in the cadastre section DK; the remains of the rampart, even those buried, between the bastioned tower of Rivotte and the bastioned tower of Bregille, and the soil to the west of the remains of that rampart, located 12 Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on Parcel No. 137 and in the depths of the said parcel, shown in the cadastre section AK, and in the public domain not cadastralized under Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, shown in the cadastre section AK; That part of the rampart situated at Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on Parcel No. 89, shown in the cadastre section AH, and that parcel; the road of haulage situated on the public non-cadastre domain, shown in the cadastre section AH, below parcels No 16, No 67, and No 89 of that section of the cadastre, and on the public non-cadastre domain situated between the outlet of the street of the Republic and the bridge of the same name, shown in the cadastre at the boundary between sections AH and AE; the remains of the bastioned tower Saint-Pierre, located at Elisha-Cusenier Avenue, on Parcel No. 29, shown in the cadastre section AE; The derased ramparts and the buried remains of the old ramparts, extending from the remains of the bastioned tower of St Peter to the bastion of the Holy Spirit, partly on Parcel No. 29, shown in the cadastre section AE; partially buried under the entrance of the Denfert-Rochereau Bridge, a non-cadastre public domain, partly situated on Parcel No. 137, shown in the Cadastre section AE, as well as the haulage path located on the non-cadastre public domain, below Parcels No. 29 and No. 137 of the AE section of the cadastre; the bastion of the Holy Spirit, the casemate of the flank of Poitune, the casemate of the side of the Cordeliers, the rampart between the bastion of the Holy Spirit and the casemate of the side of the Cordeliers and its buried remains, as well as the road of haulage, located below this rampart, this bastion and these casemates, all located quai Vauban on the non-cadaster public domain, appearing in the cadastre sections AD and AW; the remains of casemate, located on rue Girod-de-Chantrans, shown on Parcel No. 1 in the cadastre section AV; the buried remains of the second line of ramparts and the ground of its former slope, situated on the public estate not cadastre, partly on the road of haulage, partly under Parcel No. 1 in the cadastre section AV, and partly on the public estate not cadastre, under the rue Girod-de-Chantrans, between Parcels Nos. 1 and 5, all of which appear in the cadastre section AV; the buried remains of the second line of the ramparts, the ground of their former slope and the remains of the Chamars bridge, situated partly below the avenue of 8-May-1945, between Parcel No. 8 of Section Av and Parcel No. 27 of Section AT, in the uncadastre public domain, partly under Parcel No. 27 of Section AT, and partly under the Geneviève-de-Gaulle-Anthonioz track, between Parcel No. 27 of Section AT, and Parcel No. 5a of Section AT; the west guard corps of Chamars, located on Parcel No. 27 in the cadastre section AT; the buried remains of the Notre Dame gate located at the entrance of Charles-Nodier Street on the Tarragnoz suburbs, on the non-cadastre public domain, sections AP and DM of the cadastre; the rampart, ditch and counterscarp between Charles-Nodier Street and Notre-Dame Tower, bearing the ascent to the Rue du Chapter, situated partially on the non-cadastre public domain, section AP of the cadastre and partly on Parcel No 19, shown in the cadastre section DM; On the right bank of the Doubs: the buried remains of the Bezel of Bregille and the ground of these remains, located under Parcels Nos. 121 and 221, and under the uncadastered public domain, at the intersection of the Avenues Édouard-Droz and Chardonnet and the exit from the Bridge of Bregille, shown in the Cadastre section CX; the south guard corps of the Gate of Arenes, located 11 rue Marulaz, on Parcel No. 159, shown in the Cadastre section AX: classification by order of 16 April 2025

Key figures

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - Military engineer Identified the site as strategic.
Jean Le Michaud d’Arçon - General and Engineer Designer of glasses in 1791-1794.
Louis XIV - King of France Used the site in 1674.
Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières - General Modernized the bisontine fortifications.

Origin and history

The Bezel of Trois-Chatels, located in Besançon, is a military work built at the end of the 18th century (between 1791 and 1794) under the impulse of General Jean Le Michaud d'Arçon. It is part of a series of fortifications designed to protect Vauban's citadel, particularly against rear-end attacks. Its strategic location, on Mont Saint-Étienne, makes it a key point in the city's defensive system, completing the glasses of Tousey and Chaudanne.

The site had already been identified as strategic by Vauban in the 17th century, especially during the reconquest of Franche-Comté by Louis XIV in 1674. However, its construction was only completed a century later, in an emergency and in a bad way. The glasses, initially old, were rebuilt during the Restoration. They played a role in the liberation of Besançon in 1944, when the Allies seized it to piling German positions.

Abandoned after World War II, glasses were bought by private individuals in the 1990s. Three-Châtels, which was classified as a historical monument in 1995, has been privately restored. Although not open to the public, it offers an exceptional panorama of Besançon and its surroundings. Its architecture, typical of the Arçon glasses, includes a triangular cut-off, a reduced tower and deep ditches.

The monument is part of a larger network of 25 forts built around Besançon after 1870, as part of the Séré de Rivières system. The purpose of the scheme was to modernize French defences in the face of the German threat. The bezel of Trois-Châtels, with his sister Tousey, formed a defensive advance south of the citadel, reinforcing the loop of the Doubs.

Today, the Bezel of Trois-Châtels illustrates the evolution of military techniques, from Vauban to Séré de Rivières. Its history also reflects the challenges of preserving the military heritage, between abandonment and private restoration. Despite her ranking, she remains unknown to the general public, overshadowed by the fame of Besançon's citadel.

External links