Fort de Belleville

A group of French soldiers stand outside an entrance to the fort.

Courtyard with doorway and tunnel, June, 2016.

Overgrown wall and munitions depots, June, 2016.

Upon its construction in 1874, Fort de Bellville was initially considered a defensive gun battery rather than an official fortress. As one of the six "panic redoubts" completed after the Franco-Prussian war, it is unique in the fact that there are no armored artillery pieces or eclipsing turrets. lying to the Northeast of the city on the right bank of the Meuse, Fort de Belleville witnessed heavy bombardments during the battle, with over 5000 large-caliber artillery shells landing in and around the structure.