Treaties of Ryswick 1697 (≈ 1697)
Loss of Brisach, origin of the project.
18 octobre 1698
Start of work
Start of work 18 octobre 1698 (≈ 1698)
Lay the first stone.
1702
Completion of fortifications
Completion of fortifications 1702 (≈ 1702)
End of initial construction.
1731-1736
Construction of Saint-Louis Church
Construction of Saint-Louis Church 1731-1736 (≈ 1734)
First stone laid in 1731.
1870
Nine-Brisach Headquarters
Nine-Brisach Headquarters 1870 (≈ 1870)
33 days of french resistance.
1945
US bombardments
US bombardments 1945 (≈ 1945)
Major damage to the city.
2008
UNESCO classification
UNESCO classification 2008 (≈ 2008)
Integration with Vauban sites.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The former casemate: registration by order of 10 June 1932 - The ramparts and their glacis, including the Basel Gate (Box 6 1, 2, 5-12, 15, 24-26, 28-33, 34/II, 35/6, 36/30, 40): by order of 1 October 1962 - The glacis of the ramparts (old) (cad. 6 47/5, 45/12, 50/11): classification by decree of 7 November 1962 - The doors of Colmar and Belfort (cad. 6-13, 14): classification by decree of 25 April 1963
Key figures
Louis XIV - King of France
Project sponsor after 1697.
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - Military engineer
Designer of the octagonal plane.
Jacques Tarade - Military architect
Vauban collaborator on the project.
Origin and history
The ramparts of Neuf-Brisach were built between 1698 and 1702 under the impulse of Louis XIV, after the loss of the Brisach stronghold (on the German bank of the Rhine) following the Ryswick Treaties in 1697. The project, entrusted to the engineers Vauban and Jacques Tarade, aimed to fill a strategic gap between Strasbourg and Mulhouse. The innovative octagonal plan included eight bastioned towers, half moons and counterguards, making this citadel a unique model in Vauban's work. A canal was even dug to the Vosges to carry the pink sandstone needed for its construction.
The city, founded ex nihilo, was equipped with four monumental gates (Bâle, Colmar, Strasbourg, Belfort) between 1706 and 1709, although certain elements, such as the crowned work or the 24 healers, were never realized. Despite minor warnings (as in 1743), the ramparts played a major defensive role only in 1814-1815 (Austrian block) and especially during the siege of 1870, where 5,500 French soldiers resisted German troops 33 days before surrendering. The town, partially destroyed, was rebuilt and modernized by the Germans after 1875 to adapt to new war techniques.
Classified as historical monuments between 1932 and 1963, the fortress suffered damage during the 1945 bombings, before being restored. Since 2008, it has been one of the 12 major UNESCO World Heritage sites in Vauban. Its octagonal plan, its bastioned towers and its glacis make it an exceptional testimony of military engineering of the 17th and 18th centuries, despite the subsequent modifications (armed cupolas, concrete shelters) brought by the Germans in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The ramparts also illustrate the limits of traditional fortifications in the face of the evolution of weapons: after 1992, the garrison was dissolved, marking the end of its military role. Today, the site is considered for cultural uses (museum, exhibitions) or events, while preserving its historical integrity. The city, enclaved in its walls, was never able to expand, keeping its original route, unique in Europe.
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