Fort de la Motte-Giron

Constructed between January 1875 and September 1876, the Fort de la Motte-Giron stands on a plateau near the western end of Dijon. The fort was built to protect the city as part of a belt of detached forts. Its defenses are secured by three simple caponnières and a double one at the north-west.

The fort was originally named Fort de la Motte-Giron, but was renamed Fort Roussin in 1887, in honor of Albin Roussin, a native of Dijon who was a captain of frigate in 1808, vice-admiral in 1831, admiral in 1840, and minister of the Marine in 1840 and 1843. However, this name change was reversed in 1887. In 1901, the fort was placed in the third category, with reduced garrison and armament. During the mobilization of 1914, the fort served as a training center and later as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured officers from 1917. Between 1940 and 1944, it was used as a prison for civilians, some of whom were later deported.

From 1944 to 1948, it was used as a transit center for prisoners of war, then became a transmission center for the French Air Force until 1954. In 2002, the municipality of Dijon purchased the fort, beginning small-scale restorations. In 2006, the fort was inscribed as a historical monument by the prefecture. Sheep from the Sologne region graze in the moats.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons