The fortifications

When the gate went up in 1620, Lille still belonged to the Spanish Netherlands and it formed part of a new city wall erected more towards the North. The enlargmeent of 1617-1621 meant an additional 75 acres had to be protected and the defensive purpose of the construction can be seen in the ...

According to the adage, ruling means foreseeing, and in fact it was during a period of peace and prosperity that Lille was enlarged for the fifth time and its defences strengthened: the Porte de Gand was built by Pierre Raoul under the Spanish occupation. On its outward-facing side it lost its ...

This Triumphal Arch was erected between 1685 and 1692 in honour of the capture of Lille by Louis XIV in 1667. It replaced the more modest Sick-Quarter Gate which had been there since the Middle Ages. The engineer charged with constructing the gate, Simon Vollant, had already distinguished himself by...

After Louis XIV's conquest of the city in 1667, Vauban desired that Lille become the most perfect stronghold of the ingdom. He built the Citadel, enlarged the town and fortified the enclosure. In 1673, he built the Fort Saint Sauveur, later called the Fort du Réduit. Really a little cita...

This is the work of Sébastien Leprestre, Marqui of Vauban, carried out on the order of Louis XIV, who had just conquered the town. Its construction lasted from 1667 until 1670. It was really a little town surrounded by five bastions in the form of a star with a total circumference of 2,200 ...

Built during the 100 Years' War by Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, to protect himself against the French armies, the tower was the highest of 65 in the city walls. Topped by a wooden "hourd" of firing positions, it permitted the defence of the quarter and the St Sauveur hospital. When ...