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Tower of the Islot de Verdun dans la Meuse

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Tour

Tower of the Islot de Verdun

    Rue du Grand Rempart
    55100 Verdun
Property of the municipality; ownership of the community of communes
Tour de lIslot de Verdun
Tour de lIslot de Verdun
Crédit photo : Fab5669 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIIe siècle
Initial construction
1380 (environ)
Construction of the Tower of Plaids
fin XIVe siècle
Completion of ramparts
XVIIe siècle
Adding guard body
1900 (environ)
Property of Louis Couten
26 décembre 1930
Historical monument classification
juin 1940
Fire of the tower
4 mai 2022
Extension of protection
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The Tower of the Plaids and the ground of its plot, the remains of ramparts kept between the tower and Avenue Douaumont including those located below the road bridge of Avenue de Douaumont, the remains of the mill adjacent to the tower and those of the old guard corps located in the Puty Canal, as well as the bridge linking the Tower of the Plaids to the old guard corps and the bridge linking the old guard corps to the road bridge of Avenue de Douaumont, in full, located rue du Moulin la Ville, the Tower of the Plaids on Parcel 139, shown in the cadastre section AB and the two uncadastral plots. The rampart elements located between the tower of the Plaids and Avenue de Douaumont and under the bridge of Avenue de Douaumont, the remains of the mill and the guard corps, being uncadastral, all in accordance with the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 4 May 2022

Key figures

Louis Couten - Owner around 1900 Verdunoese minotier operating the tower.

Origin and history

The tower of the Islot, also known as the Tower of Plaids, is a vestige of the fortified enclosure of Verdun, built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It was originally flanked by a stone wall and served as a venue for public hearings, hence its name. The construction of the large bulwark, of which it is a part, spread over nearly two centuries, with additions like a 17th century guard corps in the Puty Canal, acting as moat.

The tower has had several uses over the centuries: transformed into a mill in an indefinite period, it belonged to the miller Louis Couten around 1900, then to the Société des Milles de Gaz du Nord et de l'Est from 1923. Damaged by a fire in June 1940, it was restored in the 20th century. Ranked a historic monument in 1930, its protection was extended in 2022 to include the remains of the ramparts, mill, guard corps and adjacent bridges.

Located at the confluence of two canals, the tower was originally in an area dedicated to water-related activities, housing several mills from the early Middle Ages. Its strategic location, near the door of the Puty and connected by bridges, bears witness to its role in the defence and urban organization of Verdun. The preserved remains, including the elements beneath the bridge of Avenue de Douaumont, illustrate the architectural and functional evolution of this emblematic monument.

External links