Batterie des Carrières, Military fortification in Limonest, France
Batterie des Carrières is a small military fortification near Limonest featuring three gun casemates arranged side by side with protective embankments between them. The site preserves its original layout with firing ports positioned to direct artillery outward.
This fortification was built during the 1870s as part of a new defensive ring around Lyon. It formed one piece of a larger strategy to protect the city from the highlands above.
The battery displays French military engineering with three separate casemates arranged side by side to control the space between two larger forts. Soldiers could oversee the surrounding landscape and defend the valley below from this vantage point.
The site sits atop a hill and requires some effort to reach, but the view makes it worthwhile. The paths are narrow in places and the ground can be slippery when wet, so sturdy shoes are advisable.
The limestone foundations contain fossil remains of ancient sea creatures visible in the trenches. This geological detail reminds visitors that this land was once covered by ocean.
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