Montmédy

Bitche was a garrison town for centuries. The citadel perched on the rocks high above the town not only looks imposing, but it could also house a garrison of a thousand men in the underground barracks. You only see soldiers there now disguised as tourists; the camp was set up for them between Bitche and Obersteinbach. The citadel of Bitche is still considered the prime example of French military architecture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was none other than the famous Vauban (1633-1707) - full name Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban - who around 1680, at the request of Louis XIV, acted as a military engineer. Vauban was also responsible for numerous fortifications along the then French borders - in Toul, Montmédy, Thionville, Verdun, and Phalsbourg. The citadel of Bitche was later dismantled. However, between 1741 and 1754, it was rebuilt, this time at the request of Louis XV. The two museums in the citadel today tell the story of the Pays de Bitche-Sarreguemines and that of Bitche during the Second Empire. Those who have the courage to climb the citadel are rewarded with a beautiful panorama over the town and the Regional Natural Park of the Northern Vosges in return.

Lannoo