Construction 1167 (≈ 1167)
Medieval wall commanded by Count Bauduin.
1396
Fire of the Comtal castle
Fire of the Comtal castle 1396 (≈ 1396)
Not rebuilt, pregnant deemed sufficient.
XIVe siècle (milieu)
Second medieval wall
Second medieval wall XIVe siècle (milieu) (≈ 1450)
Six doors, 22 towers, double surface.
1678
Treaty of Nijmegen
Treaty of Nijmegen 1678 (≈ 1678)
Maubeuge attached to France.
1679–1685
Works by Vauban
Works by Vauban 1679–1685 (≈ 1682)
Medieval enclosure replacement by bastioned system.
1701
Opening weapons manufacturing
Opening weapons manufacturing 1701 (≈ 1701)
Economic development linked to fortifications.
1701–1713
Spanish Succession War
Spanish Succession War 1701–1713 (≈ 1707)
Added camp cut off and glasses.
1836
Larger bezel of the Pond
Larger bezel of the Pond 1836 (≈ 1836)
Course modification of the Pisselotte.
1924
Mons door classification
Mons door classification 1924 (≈ 1924)
First protection Historic Monument.
1947
Classification together fortifications
Classification together fortifications 1947 (≈ 1947)
Protection extended to North Sambre remains.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The buildings and fortifications of the Porte de Mons, indicated by a pink hue on the plan annexed to the decree and delimited: to the north by the boundary of the military grounds, to the south by an AB line of about 60m.50 passing through the south facade of the large building, to the southeast and south-west by BC and AE lines passing through the corner of the wall of the counterscarp of the outer ditch of the half moon: classification by decree of 17 January 1924 - All the remains of the former fortifications north of the Sambre and comprising the doors, works, ditches, escarp and counterscarp walls: classification by decree of 21 October 1947
Key figures
Bauduin (comte) - Sponsor
Order first pregnant in 1167.
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - Military engineer
Designed the bastioned enclosure (1679–185).
Louis XIV - Royal Sponsor
Order modernization after Nijmegen Treaty.
Origin and history
Maubeuge's fortifications originated in the Middle Ages with a county castle built in the 12th century, followed by a first enclosure in 1167, then a second wall in the 14th century, with six gates and 22 towers. This medieval enclosure, deemed sufficient after the fire of the castle in 1396, protected a surface twice as large as that designed later by Vauban. The city also housed a specific compound for the Holy Aldegonda Chapter, reflecting its strategic importance from that time on.
In the 17th century, after the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678), which linked Maubeuge to France, Louis XIV entrusted Vauban with the modernization of his defences. Between 1679 and 1685, the military engineer razed the medieval enclosure to erect a bastioned system suitable for artillery, less exposed thanks to the landscarpment. The project involves 8,000 workers, including local peasants and Italians. The new enclosure, reduced in area, includes seven mumps bastions, two doors (Mons and Avesnes), and exterior structures such as half moons and tenails, also using local hydrography (Sambre, creek of the Pisselotte) for defensive flooding.
Fortifications evolved in the 18th and 19th centuries: during the Spanish Succession War (1701–13), a 55-hectare cut-off camp was added, supplemented by glasses in front of the strongholds of the Cross and the Jesuits. A weapons factory opened in 1701. In 1836, the bezel of Étang was enlarged, changing the course of the Pisselotte. Despite the destruction during the First World War, part of the ramparts (bastions of the Jesuits, Bavay, Capuchins, Cross, Falize) and the Mons Gate remain today. Classified as Historical Monuments in 1924 and 1947, these fortifications now house a tourist office and a museum dedicated to Vauban.
The legacy of Vauban to Maubeuge illustrates the adaptation of border towns to the military challenges of the 17th to 19th centuries. The defensive system, combining bastioned innovations and hydraulic management, testifies to the Pre-square's strategy to protect the kingdom. Recent restorations (2000s) have preserved this heritage, including the reduction of the half moon of Mons, while opening it to the public.
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