Ever wondered how Strasbourg defended itself after the Franco-Prussian War? Here at Fort Ducrot, you will uncover a hidden history. This fort is part of a ring of fortifications built around Strasbourg after the city fell in 1870.
Following Strasbourg’s fall, the Prussian General Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke ordered the construction of fourteen forts. Eleven of these forts were in Alsace. Three were in Baden. The forts followed a design by Hans Alexis von Biehler. His idea was to create a discontinuous ring around Strasbourg. This ring would be made of artillery forts spaced within cannon range.
Originally, thirty-six forts were planned. In the end, only fourteen were built. Fort Ducrot started as Feste Mundolsheimer Kopf. Later, it was renamed Feste Podbielski. This honored Prussian General Theophil von Podbielski. He was a key figure in the wars of 1866 and 1870. After France regained Strasbourg in 1918, the fort got its current name. It became Fort Ducrot, named after French General Auguste Alexandre Ducrot. He commanded the mobilized division in Strasbourg in 1870.
Fort Ducrot occupies a strategic spot on the Holderberg hill. Its location is between the northern and western fronts of Strasbourg’s defenses. Though not in the initial plan, it was added to protect routes to the north. Fort Ducrot, or Fort IIIa, fills a gap between Fort III Roon and Fort IV Feste Kronprinz. It helped defend against attacks from the Saverne roads and the northwest. It also prevented the enemy from occupying the high ground near Mundolsheim.
Construction of Fort Ducrot spanned from 1879 to December 24, 1881. It is the last fort built in the Strasbourg ring. Like six other forts here, it is a detached fort with a dry moat of the Biehler type.
The fort saw no action during World War I. The German army did use it. In the 1930s, Fort Ducrot became part of the Maginot Line. A concrete bunker was added. During the German occupation, it served as a storage site. In 1945, the U.S. VII Army used it as a bridgehead during the Battle of Gambsheim.
The army abandoned the fort. In the 1990s, the town of Mundolsheim bought it. Since then, the association “Les amis du fort Ducrot” has been working to restore it. Fort Ducrot stands as a testament to Strasbourg’s complex history. It reflects periods of both German and French control.