Fort de l'Est
Encyclopedia
Fort de l'Est is a military strong point designed to protect Paris. It was built between 1841 and 1843 in Saint-Denis
at the direction of French prime minister Adolphe Thiers
, and was part of a immense defensive belt comprising 17 detached forts and the Thiers Wall
surrounding Paris. The evolution of artillery
quickly made these fortifications obsolete.
The fort is still used by the French Army
. Units associated with the fort include a number of reserve units and the headquarters of the National Association of Reserve Warrant Officers. French Foreign Legion
units associated with Operation Vigipirate
are also stationed at Fort de l'Est. The northeast bastion of the formerly four-sided fort was removed to make way for the A1 autoroute
, from which the fort is visible, and faces the Lycée Suger secondary school, built in 1994. The military files concerning military insubordinations of World War I in the French Army are preserved there, as wall as some unclassified files from the library of the former garrison. The glacis of the fort is partly occupied by community gardens.
Between 2002 and 2004 the Salvation Army
operated a 150-bed winter shelter within the fort, assisting 18,000 persons in 2002.
During the Algerian War in 1962, a military tribunal held hearings at the Fort d l'Est in which Jean Bastien-Thiry was judged guilty of attempting to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle
and condemned to death. He was executed at the Fort d'Ivry
. Almost one hundred officers were held at Fort de l'Est.
In 1958 the inter-army office for standardization of materials (BICM) was installed at Fort de l'Est after France's ratification in 1956 of NATO standardization policies.
On August 25, 1944, German army occupation forces evacuated the fort.
In 1872 the fort's chaplain, Jules Bonhomme, published a popular memoir featuring the fort.
In 1870 the French forces at the Fort de l'Est fired on Stains
, which was occupied by the Prussia
ns, damaging a church and demolishing the chateau. Prussians eventually occupied the fort.
Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
at the direction of French prime minister Adolphe Thiers
Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers was a French politician and historian. was a prime minister under King Louis-Philippe of France. Following the overthrow of the Second Empire he again came to prominence as the French leader who suppressed the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871...
, and was part of a immense defensive belt comprising 17 detached forts and the Thiers Wall
Thiers wall
The Thiers wall was the last of the defensive walls of Paris. It was an enclosure constructed between 1841 and 1844 under a law enacted by the government of the French prime minister, Adolphe Thiers. It covered , along the 'boulevards des Maréchaux' of today...
surrounding Paris. The evolution of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
quickly made these fortifications obsolete.
The fort is still used by the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. Units associated with the fort include a number of reserve units and the headquarters of the National Association of Reserve Warrant Officers. French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
units associated with Operation Vigipirate
Vigipirate
Vigipirate is France's national security alert system. Created in 1978 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, it has since been updated three times: in 1995 , 2000, and 2004....
are also stationed at Fort de l'Est. The northeast bastion of the formerly four-sided fort was removed to make way for the A1 autoroute
A1 autoroute (France)
The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of , it connects Paris with the northern city of Lille. It is managed by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France...
, from which the fort is visible, and faces the Lycée Suger secondary school, built in 1994. The military files concerning military insubordinations of World War I in the French Army are preserved there, as wall as some unclassified files from the library of the former garrison. The glacis of the fort is partly occupied by community gardens.
Significant events
In 2009 a village of temporary houses was placed on the site to accommodate about twenty Romani families moved from the "André-Campra" shantytown in La Plaine.Between 2002 and 2004 the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
operated a 150-bed winter shelter within the fort, assisting 18,000 persons in 2002.
During the Algerian War in 1962, a military tribunal held hearings at the Fort d l'Est in which Jean Bastien-Thiry was judged guilty of attempting to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
and condemned to death. He was executed at the Fort d'Ivry
Fort d'Ivry
Fort d'Ivry was built in the Paris suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine between 1841 and 1845 as one of the forts in a ring of strong points surrounding Paris. The fort is about 1 kilometer outside the Thiers Wall, built by the same program in response to a perception that Paris was vulnerable to invasion and...
. Almost one hundred officers were held at Fort de l'Est.
In 1958 the inter-army office for standardization of materials (BICM) was installed at Fort de l'Est after France's ratification in 1956 of NATO standardization policies.
On August 25, 1944, German army occupation forces evacuated the fort.
In 1872 the fort's chaplain, Jules Bonhomme, published a popular memoir featuring the fort.
In 1870 the French forces at the Fort de l'Est fired on Stains
Stains
Stains is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Heraldry:-Transport:Stains is served by Pierrefitte – Stains station on Paris RER line D...
, which was occupied by the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns, damaging a church and demolishing the chateau. Prussians eventually occupied the fort.
External links
- Souvenirs du Fort de l'Est, journal of Abbé Jules Bonhomme during the Franco-Prussian War