Fort Napoléon

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

Following the capture of Toulon, an English field redoubt was established on the height of Caire in 1793, quickly recaptured by republican troops. The construction of a fort on the site of the redoubt was envisaged from 1794 onwards, to secure the rear of the coastal forts of Balaguier and l'Eguillette, and to prevent the possibility of bombardment of the Toulon arsenal situated only 3 km away. The project was resumed in 1809 for the construction of a redoubt of square plan 50 m on a side, with a ditch and bastioned. Organized around a central courtyard, it comprised casemented barracks built against the curtains, capable of accommodating a garrison of 250 men; on the terrace, a battery developed over the entire extent of the structure was to allow fire in all directions. Work began in May 1811 according to the plan of Jean François Sorbier, director of fortifications of Toulon. In July 1812, a complementary plan was established for the entrance to the fort which would be made through a vaulted passage preceded by a drawbridge. The completion of the works appears to date from 1821, a date inscribed at the entrance of the fort. Fort Napoléon de La Seyne, conceived as a prototype, would ultimately be the only built example of model-redoubt no. 2, a structure developed as part of a standardized program of fortification of the littoral of the Empire.