- Quélern
Quélern is a hamlet in
Roscanvel ,France .Fortifications
Fortified lines
The Quélern lines defended the entrance to the
goulet de Brest against capture from behind the defences of the Roscanvel peninsula. They are 1.22km long and form the only surviving non-urban line of fortifications inFrance . Work on them was begun in 1695 by Vauban himself (they are still sometimes known as the Vauban system) and they were improved from 1777 to 1785 due to theAmerican Revolutionary War , in expectation of British action against the port of Brest.DionBrest] The lines still serve a strong geostrategic function and the area is still military land with no public access [ [http://maps.google.fr/maps?ll=48.295854,-4.562423&spn=0.005,0.01&t=k View of the lines (GoogleMaps)] ] . An upper gate known as porte de Camaret and a lower gate known as porte de Crozon were the only two ways through the wall until their destruction, possibly between 1940 and 1944.Redoubt
From 1852 to 1854, a fort known as the réduit de Quélern was built to plans by Vauban, with modifications. It is a square-plan fort with bastions and surrounded by a dry moat. Like the lines, it is still Ministry of Defence property and thus not open to the public.
References
External links
* [http://www4.culture.fr/patrimoines/patrimoine_architectural_et_mobilier/sribzh/main.xsp?execute=show_document&id=MERIMEEIA29001324 lignes fortifiées de Quélern] (general inventory)
* [http://www4.culture.fr/patrimoines/patrimoine_architectural_et_mobilier/sribzh/main.xsp?execute=show_document&id=MERIMEEIA29001325 Fort de Quélern-1854] (general inventory)
* [http://www.fortiff.be/iff/index.php?p=325 Batteries de Quélern] (photos)
* [http://www.fortiff.be/iff/index.php?p=326 Réduit de Quélern] (photos)
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