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Origin and history

The Chaussée Gate, also known as the Chaussée Tower, is a town gate built in 1380 in Verdun, Meuse department. It was one of the three monumental gates of the Great Rempart of Verdun, symbolizing the free city status of Empire obtained in 1374. Its name comes from a road established in the 12th century by a rich local family. The construction was financed by Jean Wautrec, an influential draper and Premier Magistrat de la Cité.

In 1690, during Vauban's work, the original ogival door was replaced by a gate in the middle of the circle surmounted by a Tuscan pediment. The south tower, collapsed because of a landslide, was rebuilt identically with the original stones. The door then served as a military prison from 1755 to 1860, before being closed due to conditions of detention denounced by doctors.

In 1880, the drawbridge was destroyed, and a military project to drill a tower to widen the passage was abandoned in the face of opposition from the inhabitants. A bypass track was then constructed. The gate was designated a historic monument on 21 March 1881 and purchased by the city in 1889. Its Gothic architecture, with two 20-metre twin towers, niches and mâchicoulis, makes it a rare testimony of medieval fortifications.

Today, the Chaussée Gate consists of two circular towers connected by a Tuscan pediment portico. It preserves Gothic decorative elements such as gargoyles and clover sculptures. The monument, owned by the municipality, comprises three floors above a cellar and ends with an outdoor terrace.

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