Fort de Châtillon (Paris)
Encyclopedia
The Fort de Châtillon was a fortification located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Paris
in the communes of Châtillon-sous-Bagneux and Fontenay-aux-Roses
. It was built in 1874 and was razed beginning in 1957, making way for expansion of the French nuclear research facility at Fontenay-aux-Roses.
The fort is named for the town it was designed to protect, Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, but the greater portion of the site is actually within Fontenay-aux-Roses. The main entry and the portions in Châtillon were destroyed at the end of the Second World War.
in 1870, when the redoubt of Châtillon was built by the inhabitants of the town. The works allowed the French to slow the Prussian advance on the capital and was the scene of violent combat. After the war the site was selected for further fortification as part of the Séré de Rivières system
ring of fortifications around Paris. Construction on the new pentagonal fort started in 1874, not far from the old redoubt. Unlike other Parisian fortifications, the new fort was designed for action in all directions, as the location commanded much of the surrounding region. The barracks, believed to have been in three levels, were located at the center, surrounded by walls defended by a ditch and caponier
s. The fort featured a number of internal traverses, mounded dikes intended as shelters against low-angle shellfire from a variety of directions.
Nearby was the Coupure de Châtillon, a fortified ditch about 150 metres (492.1 ft) to the northeast of the Fort de Châtillon, defended by artillery batteries. With the Fort de Châtillon, the defenses denied the use of the Châtillon hill to an enemy who might dominate the nearby Forts de Montrouge, Issy and Vanves. The coupure consisted of eighteen traverses covered by artillery and defended by caponier
s in the ditch. The entire fortification has vanished with the encroachment of urbanization.
The fort saw no particular action during the Second World War. After the French Liberation, accused collaborators Joseph Darnand
and Jean Hérold-Paquis
were executed by firing squad at the fort.
After the war the fort changed vocation to serve the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique
, the French atomic energy agency (CEA), and was the site of Zoé
, the first French nuclear reactor. The Châtillon site was quickly superseded by a new atomic research facility at Saclay, which opened in 1952.
fusion reactor prototype, the TFR
. It became difficult to maintain such activities in the densely populated area, and Zoé was shut down in 1977. The site became more oriented to other areas of nuclear research, particularly in the areas of radiation protection and nuclear waste management. The site also accommodates administrative services of the CEA. A 1996 fire in the administration building precipitated a change in use. A portion of the building that housed Zoé became the Museum of the Atom, while the remainder was dedicated to research into the life sciences.
Several buildings on the site remain dedicated to the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (Nuclear Safety Authority) (ASN) and the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire
(Institute for Protection and Safety against Nuclear Radiation) (IRSN). The site is no longer spoken of as the "Fort" or "Annex", but as CEN-FAR or IRSN Fontenay-aux-Roses.
near Besançon
, as well as a Fort de Châtillon at Boulogne-sur-Mer
built in the 16th century.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in the communes of Châtillon-sous-Bagneux and Fontenay-aux-Roses
Fontenay-aux-Roses
Fontenay-aux-Roses is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.École Normale Supérieure was a girls school located in the area....
. It was built in 1874 and was razed beginning in 1957, making way for expansion of the French nuclear research facility at Fontenay-aux-Roses.
The fort is named for the town it was designed to protect, Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, but the greater portion of the site is actually within Fontenay-aux-Roses. The main entry and the portions in Châtillon were destroyed at the end of the Second World War.
History
The site was first fortified during the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
in 1870, when the redoubt of Châtillon was built by the inhabitants of the town. The works allowed the French to slow the Prussian advance on the capital and was the scene of violent combat. After the war the site was selected for further fortification as part of 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...
ring of fortifications around Paris. Construction on the new pentagonal fort started in 1874, not far from the old redoubt. Unlike other Parisian fortifications, the new fort was designed for action in all directions, as the location commanded much of the surrounding region. The barracks, believed to have been in three levels, were located at the center, surrounded by walls defended by a ditch and 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. The fort featured a number of internal traverses, mounded dikes intended as shelters against low-angle shellfire from a variety of directions.
Nearby was the Coupure de Châtillon, a fortified ditch about 150 metres (492.1 ft) to the northeast of the Fort de Châtillon, defended by artillery batteries. With the Fort de Châtillon, the defenses denied the use of the Châtillon hill to an enemy who might dominate the nearby Forts de Montrouge, Issy and Vanves. The coupure consisted of eighteen traverses covered by artillery and defended by 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 in the ditch. The entire fortification has vanished with the encroachment of urbanization.
The fort saw no particular action during the Second World War. After the French Liberation, accused collaborators Joseph Darnand
Joseph Darnand
Joseph Darnand was a French soldier and later a leader of the Vichy French collaborators with Nazi Germany....
and Jean Hérold-Paquis
Jean Hérold-Paquis
Jean Auguste Hérold, better known as Jean Hérold-Paquis , was a French journalist who fought for Franco and the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. In 1940 he was appointed as Delegate for Propaganda in the Hautes-Alpes department by the Vichy authorities...
were executed by firing squad at the fort.
After the war the fort changed vocation to serve the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
, the French atomic energy agency (CEA), and was the site of Zoé
Zoé (reactor)
The Zoé reactor, or EL-1, was the first French atomic reactor. It was built in 1947 at the Fort de Châtillon in Fontenay-aux-Roses, a suburb of Paris....
, the first French nuclear reactor. The Châtillon site was quickly superseded by a new atomic research facility at Saclay, which opened in 1952.
Centre d'Études Nucléaires de Fontenay-aux-Roses (CEN-FAR)
In 1957 the Fort de Châtillon changed its name to the Centre d'Études Nucléaires de Fontenay-aux-Roses. Only the entry and some buildings of the old fort were saved. The rest was demolished between 1957 and 1970. From 1974 the site housed a tokamakTokamak
A tokamak is a device using a magnetic field to confine a plasma in the shape of a torus . Achieving a stable plasma equilibrium requires magnetic field lines that move around the torus in a helical shape...
fusion reactor prototype, the TFR
Tokamak de Fontenay aux Roses
The Tokamak de Fontenay-aux-Roses was the first French tokamak, built in a research centre of the French Atomic Energy Commission in Fontenay-aux-Roses, a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France....
. It became difficult to maintain such activities in the densely populated area, and Zoé was shut down in 1977. The site became more oriented to other areas of nuclear research, particularly in the areas of radiation protection and nuclear waste management. The site also accommodates administrative services of the CEA. A 1996 fire in the administration building precipitated a change in use. A portion of the building that housed Zoé became the Museum of the Atom, while the remainder was dedicated to research into the life sciences.
Several buildings on the site remain dedicated to the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (Nuclear Safety Authority) (ASN) and the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire
Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire
The French Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire is a public official establishment with an industrial and commercial aspect created by the AFSSE Act and by the February 22, 2002 decreed n°2002-254...
(Institute for Protection and Safety against Nuclear Radiation) (IRSN). The site is no longer spoken of as the "Fort" or "Annex", but as CEN-FAR or IRSN Fontenay-aux-Roses.
Other Forts de Châtillon
Other Forts de Châtillon include one at Châtillon-le-DucChâtillon-le-Duc
Châtillon-le-Duc is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
near Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, as well as a Fort de Châtillon at Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
built in the 16th century.
See also
- Commissariat à l'énergie atomiqueCommissariat à l'Énergie AtomiqueThe Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
- Fortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuriesFortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuriesThe fortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries comprise:*The Thiers Wall, surrounding the city of Paris, and farther from the city,*The detached forts and their complementary fieldworks.They were built in two stages:...
Source
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding French Wikipedia article as of April 26, 2010.