Blaye Fortresse, Inner Wall west - a photo on Flickriver

            LA CITADELLE DE BLAYE

Located on a rocky promontory on the right bank of the Gironde, the Citadel of Blaye affords a sweeping view of the estuary. As a strategic stronghold, mastery of Blaye was often hotly contested over the centuries, and the city was partly destroyed by Protestant forces in the late 16th century during the wars of religion. In the early 17th century, Louis XIII's government repaired the fortifications and established a modern defence system. These included bastions built according to the most modern theories of the time. 

In the mid-17th century, during the Fronde, Blaye was the gateway to Bordeaux and the entire province of Guyenne (corresponding to the present-day Aquitaine region). It was decided to undertake a second round of works, confirming Louis XIV's determination to transform Blaye into a great fortress. 

In 1680, the engineer François Ferry proposed an initial reconstruction project. The work in progress was inspected in October 1685 by Vauban. Seeing the dilapidated fabric of the buildings and the quality of work done to that point, and after analysis of the original structure, he proposed a different project with a less open square flanked by four bastions, three demilunes and two gateways whose construction was entrusted to Ferry. Work on the citadel began in 1686 and finished in 1689.

The end result was a superb example of how an existing structure could be adapted to a new defence system. Thanks to Vauban and an ambious renovation programme initiated by the city of Blaye, the citadel is outstandingly well-preserved. 

USEFUL INFORMATION

The Citadel is open to the general public and there is no entry fee.

Taken on: August 6, 2017

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Blaye

Bordeaux

France

Vauban

Aquitaine

Gironde « less

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Camera: Fujifilm X-T20, f/13.0, 1/250 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Fujifilm X-T20
Lens:	XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS
Aperture:	f/13.0
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.12 (Windows)
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