Citadelle de Montmédy, Montmédy, France

Montmédy citadel is one of the largest fortresses in North-Eastern France. It was built during the reign of Emperor Charles V in 1545 then altered in the 17th century by Vauban and, in the 19th century, by Séré de Rivières, who added a large number of bunkers.

The tourist office and the Fortification Museum explains systems of defence through the ages and gives a clearer understanding of strategies of attack and defence as well as technical terms such as bastion, half-moon battery, curtain wall, outwork, covered passageway etc. There is also a gallery of works by portrait artist Jules Bastien-Lepage, who was born in Damvillers not far from Montmédy in the 19th century. He also painted landscapes and scenes of country life. A game in the form of a free booklet is available for your children to help them visit the two museums. During the school holidays, arts and crafts workshops and special shows are arranged free of charge for the younger members of the family.

References:

Meuse Tourism

Castles and fortifications in France

User Reviews

Tim H (2 years ago)
Nice stroll. Up and around to the small little town up overseeing the city.

john lakey (2 years ago)
An amazing time spent here. You can actually drive in to the citadel, park and walk around. People live in the citadel and you really get a feel of how life used to be. If you are unsure, remember, its free and its a great experience for all ages.

Mamai Jen (2 years ago)
Interesting place to walk around.

Duncan Smart (2 years ago)
Pretty cool place to walk around and explore

Rütger Ask Jacobsen (2 years ago)
Found this fantastic place while on our way to Mont Saint Michel from Denmark, and it was amazing. First of all, we never expected to find people still living here and secondly the stucture and mere size of the Citadelle is just... wauw! The stories this place could tell! It is so easy to let the imagination run wild! What we found out is that is was last used i WWI and in 1657 it was defended for 57 days against 30.000 soldiers by just 756 soldiers, only surrendering after the death of the govenor. Long story short, if you are ever in this region, go visit Citadelle de Montmédy, it is a fantastic and beautifull place.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

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Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.

Citadelle de Montmédy

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