Fort de Cormeilles-en-Parisis
Encyclopedia
The Fort de Cormeilles-en-Parisis was constructed between 1874 and 1877 as part of a new plan for the defense of Paris developed by General Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières
, near the town of Cormeilles-en-Parisis
. During the Franco-Prussian War, German troops had used the hill upon which the fort sits as a spotting and firing location, ideal for the siting of new rifled guns whose range was increased over old-fashioned smooth-bore guns. These weapons could attack Paris from Cormeilles, so a new outer ring of forts had to be built outside the first ring of forts built in 1840-1860 to deny the area to enemy gunners. The Séré de Rivières system
was designed as a response to these technological innovations, and to the loss of French territories in Alsace
and Lorraine
.
valley and the railway line to Pontoise
. The walled fort was surrounded by a ditch defended by two double caponier
s and an aileron. Entry was over a laterally-rolling bridge. The Fort de Cormeilles was armed with 64 guns, served by 1132 men, 36 officers and 14 horses, and could operate independently for three months. The new fort cost 3.3 million francs d'or. However, as one of the first of the Séré de Rivières system forts, it was built in brick and stone, with an earthen shield. This construction could not withstand new high-explosive shells that were developed in the 1870s, rendering the fort effectively obsolete without concrete reinforcement. This fort was never upgraded.
The fort features a chapel, complete with traceried
windows, and a monumental three-story caserne. The façades feature an unusual amount of detail and ornamentation.
Six detached batteries and one redoubt supported the fort from the rear:
Another battery, the Batterie du Belvedere was located towards the front on the fort's glacis
, with the Batterie de la Petit Montagne on the opposite side.
raids against Paris. The anti-aircraft artillery was upgraded in the early 1930s with four new 75mm guns, replaced by German 20mm guns during German occupation.
After 1940 the fort was used by the German occupiers as an ammunition depot for the German navy. Following World War II the fort was used to lodge members of the French Forces of the Interior
(FFI), then as a prison until 1956. From 1956 the fort was used as lodging for prison workers at nearby facilities, such as the Prison de Fresnes. Housing was built on the surface of the fort, and the complex featured a nursery school. The last families, principally North Africans and the family of the fort's keeper, left the fort at the beginning of the 1970s. From 1965 to 1997 the fort was used as a commando training center.
The Fort de Cormeilles is now the property of the Green Space Agency of the Île-de-France
regional government. Preservation work is in the hands of the Association des Amis du Fort de Cormeilles, a volunteer group, which encourages the use of the facility by artists and by television and movie studios. Public visits are available every month and on special occasions.
and The Night of the Generals
.
Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières
Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières was a French military engineer and general whose ideas revolutionized the design of fortifications in France. He gave his name to the Séré de Rivières system of fortifications constructed after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870...
, near the town of Cormeilles-en-Parisis
Cormeilles-en-Parisis
Cormeilles-en-Parisis is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in Northern France.Inhabitants are called Cormeillais.-Neighboring communes:* Argenteuil* La Frette-sur-Seine* Franconville* Herblay* Montigny-lès-Cormeilles...
. During the Franco-Prussian War, German troops had used the hill upon which the fort sits as a spotting and firing location, ideal for the siting of new rifled guns whose range was increased over old-fashioned smooth-bore guns. These weapons could attack Paris from Cormeilles, so a new outer ring of forts had to be built outside the first ring of forts built in 1840-1860 to deny the area to enemy gunners. The Séré de Rivières system
Séré de Rivières system
The Séré de Rivières system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 and first used at the beginning of the First World War along the frontiers and coasts of France...
was designed as a response to these technological innovations, and to the loss of French territories 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...
and Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
.
Description
The trapezoidal fort controls the lower SeineSeine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
valley and the railway line to Pontoise
Pontoise
Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:...
. The walled fort was surrounded by a ditch defended by two double caponier
Caponier
A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" - which strictly means capon-cote i.e. chickenhouse.The fire coming from the feature A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" -...
s and an aileron. Entry was over a laterally-rolling bridge. The Fort de Cormeilles was armed with 64 guns, served by 1132 men, 36 officers and 14 horses, and could operate independently for three months. The new fort cost 3.3 million francs d'or. However, as one of the first of the Séré de Rivières system forts, it was built in brick and stone, with an earthen shield. This construction could not withstand new high-explosive shells that were developed in the 1870s, rendering the fort effectively obsolete without concrete reinforcement. This fort was never upgraded.
The fort features a chapel, complete with traceried
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
windows, and a monumental three-story caserne. The façades feature an unusual amount of detail and ornamentation.
Six detached batteries and one redoubt supported the fort from the rear:
- Batteriedu Moulin de Risquetout
- Batterie de la Borne de Marbre
- Batterie de l'Étang
- Batterie du Ront-Point
- Batterie du Château-Rouget
- Batterie des Cotillons
- Redoute de Franconville
Another battery, the Batterie du Belvedere was located towards the front on the fort's glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
, with the Batterie de la Petit Montagne on the opposite side.
History
A 1911 project proposed a 75mm gun turret and two machine gun turrets, as well as a protected 155mm gun battery, never realized. In 1914 the fort was equipped with 75mm anti-aircraft guns to counter ZeppelinZeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
raids against Paris. The anti-aircraft artillery was upgraded in the early 1930s with four new 75mm guns, replaced by German 20mm guns during German occupation.
After 1940 the fort was used by the German occupiers as an ammunition depot for the German navy. Following World War II the fort was used to lodge members of the French Forces of the Interior
French Forces of the Interior
The French Forces of the Interior refers to French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as France's status changed from that of an occupied nation...
(FFI), then as a prison until 1956. From 1956 the fort was used as lodging for prison workers at nearby facilities, such as the Prison de Fresnes. Housing was built on the surface of the fort, and the complex featured a nursery school. The last families, principally North Africans and the family of the fort's keeper, left the fort at the beginning of the 1970s. From 1965 to 1997 the fort was used as a commando training center.
The Fort de Cormeilles is now the property of the Green Space Agency of the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
regional government. Preservation work is in the hands of the Association des Amis du Fort de Cormeilles, a volunteer group, which encourages the use of the facility by artists and by television and movie studios. Public visits are available every month and on special occasions.
Cinema
The Fort de Cormeilles is regularly used as a backdrop for films and television. Films that used the fort include L'Autre DumasL'Autre Dumas
L'Autre Dumas is a 2010 French film directed by Safy Nebbou, released in 2010, about 19th Century French author Alexandre Dumas.The Council of Black Associations of France criticized the decision to cast the fair-skinned Gérard Depardieu to play the part of Dumas, who "was the grandson of a...
and The Night of the Generals
The Night of the Generals
The Night of the Generals is a 1967 suspense thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak. Set during World War II, the story was adapted from the novel of the same name by Hans Hellmut Kirst. It stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Joanna Pettet and Philippe Noiret.The...
.
Sources
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding French Wikipedia article as of October 19, 2010.