Aerial view | ©Psu973 / CC-BY-SALouis XIV, owing to the treaty of Ryswick which put end to the Nine Years War, lost the German stronghold of Vieux-Brisach, conquered few years later.
In order to make up for this lost, the king asked his military architect Vauban to raise a citadel to defend the left bank of river Rhine: Neuf-Brisach!
Built in the end of the 17th century, the little city perfectly straight was truly a military stronghold and it needed soldiers!
In 1698, king promised privileges and exemption from taxes to families who came here.
The citadel is an octagon flanked by a casemate on each angle. In the barracks, 3 000 soldiers and a hundred horses could live there.
We still can see ditches, fortifications, bridges, triumphant gates, but the place suffered a lot in 1870: it was shelled and rebuilt in 1875.
Restored in the 20th century, Neuf-Brisach is nowadays lists as Unesco World Heritage!
