City walls of Béthune

Welcome to Béthune, a charming city in northern France with a rich history and cultural heritage. As your tourist guide, I would like to take you on a journey through time and explore the ancient fortifications that protected this city for centuries. The Béthune enclosure is a former set of fortifications that protected the city of Béthune from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. The construction of the Saint-Ignace tower in 1416 marked the beginning of the fortification's development. In 1442, the Rivage gate was rebuilt, and a boulevard was created in front of it. Three years later, in 1495, the Carnier gate was reconstructed. Charles Quint, the Holy Roman Emperor, is credited with creating the bastions of the Vielle Porte, the Porte Neuve, and the Récollets. In 1521, he had two nobles raise a plan of the city by a painter from Douai named Jehan [Jean] le Franc to identify its weaknesses and details. The following year, he ordered work on the enclosure. Two bastions were added to each salient formed by the curtain wall on the north side. The Vieille Porte bastion was built in 1536 on the salient of the curtain wall to the east, adjacent to the Carnier gate. It is a broken-flank bastion. On its left flank, the curtain wall describes an inward angle into the body of the place, likely due to the presence of the Carnier gate. To the west, the Porte Neuve bastion was started in 1540. It is also a broken-flank bastion. Today, visitors can still see some of the remains of the Béthune enclosure, including the Saint-Ignace tower, the Rivage gate, and the Carnier gate. The Vieille Porte and Porte Neuve bastions are also visible, although they have undergone some modifications over the years. As you explore the city, take a moment to appreciate the history and significance of these ancient fortifications. They are a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the people who built them and a reminder of the importance of protecting what we hold dear.

Location: Béthune

Source: Wikimedia