ROULON FORT

Description

The bastion of the fortress of Épinal, designed by General Séré de Rivières, guards the southern accesses to the defence system installed after the 1870 war at an altitude of 445 m. Built in masonry from 1879 to 1881, it is the only one to have two-storey barracks and its internal defence system with a double caponier is particularly well preserved.

After the 1870 war and the annexation of the north-eastern part of its territory, France had to rethink its defence based on new fortifications that were on the Toul-Epinal-Belfort line. The entrenched camp of Epinal with its 15 "detached" forts was thus created between 1878 and 1886. Those of Girancourt and Roulon were the guardians facing south. Nearly 400 defenders could be garrisoned there.

The change of strategy into an offensive one, instead of a "static" defence system, and the progress of artillery with the high explosive led France to the obligation of concreting the forts to maintain their possible usefulness in 1886. Although it was considered, the modernisation of the Roulon fort was never carried out. During the 1914-1918 war, it was even disarmed like many others and was only used as a training site and equipment depot until its alienation in 1969. It then became private property.

Since it was never bombed – it was too far from the front during the First World War and was not armed during the German attack of 18 June 1940 from Bains towards Epinal, it has retained its original character and is particularly well maintained by the current owner who built his house there in 1991.

The Roulon fort is a private property, so visiting it is subject to the owner's permission.