Perhaps Allée de Ceinture holds more secrets than meets the eye. This avenue sits in Lyon’s 6th arrondissement. Allée de Ceinture is part of the Parc de la Tête d’Or. The name translates to Belt Alley in English.
It is an avenue in Lyon in France. The Allée de Ceinture runs through the 6th arrondissement. This area is within Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is also part of Metropolitan France.
The Allée de Ceinture is part of the Parc de la Tête d’Or. This park also contains several other allées. You can find the Allée du Pré Fleuri there. The Allée des Serres is also in the park. So is the Allée du Fleuriste. Other allées include Allée de la Volière. The Allée du Parc aux Daims is also nearby. You can also stroll down Allée du Soleil. The Allée du Parc aux Moutons. Or the Allée Maurice Bramy. The Allée de la Tête d’Or. And finally the Allée de l’Orangerie.
Lyon’s history is deeply intertwined with fortifications. In the 19th century, Lyon needed defenses. It was vulnerable to enemies. The Austrians invaded in 1814 and 1815. This highlighted the need for permanent fortifications.
After Napoleon, Lyon became a border city. It bordered neutral Switzerland and Piedmont. This further emphasized the need for defense. These factors led to the decision to build fortifications.
A commission was formed in 1818 to address this. By 1825, a decree aimed to declare Lyon a place of war. This would secure its place in the kingdom’s defenses. But nothing happened until the 1830s.
There was debate over how to fortify Lyon. Should it be a continuous wall like Vauban’s model? Or a series of detached forts supporting each other? The early 19th century saw a shift. It moved from Vauban’s system to the polygonal system.
Vauban’s system required continuous walls. The polygonal system allowed detached forts. These forts could support each other or act independently. The polygonal system introduced the caponniere. This was a hidden structure in the moat. It allowed defenders to repel attackers.
Lyon and Paris were the first in France to use detached forts. In Lyon, forts were either for the belt or for the curtain. Belt forts encircled the city. Curtain forts aligned on a front. Both types were designed for defense. They were spaced 600 to 800 meters apart. This was the average firing range at the time.
The forts created a “belt of fire”. If an enemy tried to pass between forts, they would crossfire. The forts on the left bank of the Rhône had a unique feature. They had a cavalier. This was a structure above another. It doubled the line of fire.
In 1830, King Louis Philippe feared attacks. He worried about Sardinians, Prussians, and Italians. Savoy was also a concern. He made Lyon the kingdom’s first major fortified city. An order was given to plan fortifications.
Some locals opposed the construction. They thought the fortifications were against the population. Others, like merchants, supported it. Lieutenant-General Hubert Rouhault de Fleury proposed a plan. It included the Brotteaux and Guillotière suburbs.
Lyon’s fortification system used detached forts. These forts aimed to create a unified front of fire. They were between Vauban’s system and Séré de Rivières’ system. In 1831, an order declared the fortifications a public benefit. This allowed the seizure of land for forts.
Construction began on several sites in 1831. The works lasted until the 1850s. Fort de la Duchère was the last to begin in 1844. The fortifications consisted of three sectors. These were the right bank of the Saône. Also the Croix-Rousse. And the left bank of the Rhône. The first two had walls. The Rhône served as a natural wall for the last.
Each sector had a main fort. Fort de Montessuy commanded the Croix Rousse. Fort Saint-Irénée commanded the west. Fort de La Motte commanded the left bank of the Rhône.
The forts fell into four categories. These were the star forts. Also the crest forts. The water forts. And those with a particular morphology.
By the 1850s and 1860s, artillery advances made the fortifications obsolete. In 1878, the Minister of War announced the need to remove Rouhault de Fleury’s wall. In 1884, a law decommissioned part of the fortifications.
The left bank of the Rhône suffered the most from the sale of military land. By 1886, the northern part had disappeared. Except for the réduit des Charpennes. The other structures made way for roads and the Parc de la Tête d’Or entrance. In 1899, all the structures were officially disarmed.
In the 20th century, the army gradually left the city. Most traces of this military past have vanished. A few structures remain. These include Fort de Loyasse and Fort Montluc.