uise Fortress

This drawing of the ancient fortress was found
in a biography of Andre Godin titled
"The Family of Guise ~ or ~ The Equivalence of Wealth"

Three stages of construction can be distinguished in the fortress: a building of Ardennes Sandstone dating back from the 11th century and before, incorporated in 1549 with a brick fortress begun by Claude de Lorraine, the first Duke of Guise*, and altered by Vauban in 1650 to adapt to progress in the use of artillery. The fortifications of Claude de Lorraine bear witness to the italian influence by reason of the star-shaped bastions and orillons and the development of a network of underground passages which adapt the fortress to the new principles of attacking strongholds.

Owing to the minor military strategic importance of the fortress in 1650 vauban's effort was confined to restoration work and development of the ceremonial courtyards.

Taken off the military active list in 1918 the fortress was purchased by a contractor in 1922 who used its material for various building sites, in particular the Ardennes sandstone which served for bridge-building in Bordeaux. Then after being used as a "quarry" and then a "dump" restoration of the fortress was begun in 1953 by Maurice Duton, founder in France of the "Club du Vieux Manoir" who was awarded the first prize in the "Masterpieces in peril" contest by Andre Malraux in 1963.~~~ At right is a modern sketch of total fortress.This sketch and the view of the tower below, as It can be seen today,are just part of a marvelous collection of Guise Fortress photographs and historical data that can be found on the website of Guilliam Jourdan. It is with grateful appreciation that I am able to include his images and link to his site.

Visit The Guise Fortress Site created by Guiliam Jourdan

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