Fort Vallières

Fort Vallières lies south of the city of Dunkirk in the Nord department in France.

The first fortification at this site was a redoubt, called Fort Saint-François, built in 1657 by the Army of Flanders; a Spanish force, to protect the Canal de Bergues. Already a year later it was taken by French forces during the Battle of the Dunes. The famous French military engineer Vauban remodeled it into a larger fort in 1676, after which it was renamed Fort Vallières.

In 1756 the fort was modernized. During the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, it was called Fort Français.

Although Fort Vallières was formally decommissioned in 1889, it was used for military communications in WW I. The French Navy used it as a radio station from 1918 until 1940, when it was partially destroyed. The municipality of Dunkirk acquired it in 1967, after which the remnant of the fort was incorporated in a recreational area, called Bois des Forts (Wood of the Forts).

Fort Vallières can not be visited, but it also looks to be empty inside. So not very interesting, but it's in a nice natural area. The other fort, with which it forms the Bois des Forts, is Fort Louis, which lies 2 km's north along the canal.

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