Fort-Louis
Encyclopedia
Fort-Louis is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
It acquired its name and its principal raison d'être from a 17th century fort. More recently the population of the settlement increased between 1962 and 2004 from 137 to 279.
to construct a fortification complex at Fort Louis, situated at that time on an island between two branches of the Rhine. The principal fort, to be called the square fort (Fort Carré) was to be backed up by two fortified bridgeheads, one of which, named Fort Alsace, was to be on the Alsace
side of the river, and the other of which, Fort Marquisat, was to be on the Baden
side of the river. During the course of the Franco-German wars of the 18th century the fort was besieged on several occasions, and following the defeat
of Napoleon
, the square fort (Fort Carré) was dismantled in 1818. It was later, in 1890, purchased by the commune. Today, little survives beyond earthworks and some sections of wall from Fort Carré and Fort Alsace
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
department in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in north-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It acquired its name and its principal raison d'être from a 17th century fort. More recently the population of the settlement increased between 1962 and 2004 from 137 to 279.
History
In 1686 the king mandated VaubanVauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
to construct a fortification complex at Fort Louis, situated at that time on an island between two branches of the Rhine. The principal fort, to be called the square fort (Fort Carré) was to be backed up by two fortified bridgeheads, one of which, named Fort Alsace, was to be on the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
side of the river, and the other of which, Fort Marquisat, was to be on the Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
side of the river. During the course of the Franco-German wars of the 18th century the fort was besieged on several occasions, and following the defeat
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
of Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, the square fort (Fort Carré) was dismantled in 1818. It was later, in 1890, purchased by the commune. Today, little survives beyond earthworks and some sections of wall from Fort Carré and Fort Alsace