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Origin and history

The fortified group of Saint Quentin, also known as Feste Prinz Friedrich Karl, is a military building located in Scy-Chazelles, northwest of Metz, on Mount Saint Quentin. It is part of the first fortified belt of Metz, designed under the Second Empire by Napoleon III. Initially planned as two distinct forts (Diou and Girardin), it was partially built by the French between 1868 and 1871, and later widely developed by the Germans between 1872 and 1892. This strategic site, dominant Metz, played a key role in the Battle of Metz in 1944.

The fortified group spans 77 hectares and comprises three parts: Fort Manstein (or Girardin) to the west, Fort Saint Quentin to the centre, and Fort Diou to the east. Designed according to the principle of the "strong detachments" of Séré de Rivières, it could accommodate hundreds of soldiers and dozens of artillery pieces. Fort Diou, the only French work designed by Séré de Rivières among the Forts of Metz, was completed by the Prussians after 1872. The Plateau Kaserne, built between 1872 and 1874, connected the two main forts and housed buried barracks, powder shops and forts connected by covered roads.

During the German annexation (1871-1918), the fort became a major stronghold of the Reich, with a garrison exceeding 25,000 men before 1914. He served as a Prussian training camp and was integrated into the German defensive system during the two world wars. In 1944, he was a key point of the German resistance during the Battle of Metz, falling only on December 6, 1944 after weeks of fierce fighting. The American bombings of November 1944, though massive, largely spared its buried structures.

The site, partially listed as a historical monument since 1989 for its masonry works and defence systems, also houses works of art by German, French and American soldiers. Today, although access is still prohibited due to an ongoing pyrotechnic decontamination, the Metz-Métropole agglomeration community is conducting a restoration project to enhance this emblematic architectural and natural heritage.

The fortified Saint Quentin group was marked by tragic events, such as the burning of two casemates in September 1944, destroying manuscripts and incunables from the Metz library. His role in defending the city, alongside other forts such as Plappeville or Jeanne-d'Arc, illustrates his strategic importance. After 1945, part of the site was decommissioned, but Fort Diou served as a hertzian relay from 1953, demonstrating its adaptation to post-military civilian uses.

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