Pont-de-Cité fountain or Neptune fountain
TThe citadel of Arras was built by Vauban from 1668 to 1672, to defend the place of Arras. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
The construction of the citadel is planned at five different locations in Arras: in the city, near the main square, at the Ronville gate, in the Baudimont structure or between the Amiens and Hagerue gates. It is this last location which is chosen because it forms a right angle between the city and the city. Construction began in 1668 and ended in 1670. At the same time, the ramparts suffered.
When Vauban defined his pre-square intended to ensure the French defense against invasions, he defined a second line of defense at Arras, and had the city's citadel built. Never attacked, this citadel is nicknamed “the useless beauty” 3. According to Charles de Lalleau, the nickname comes from the fact that there was no servitude between Arras and its citadel. The ramparts were destroyed late and the esplanade was not formed.
In 1715, some undergrounds were used as prisons5.
In 1830, after the constitutional charter of August 14, the temple of the citadel was transformed into a store. It has been falling apart ever since.
World War II Memorial Site
From August 1941 to July 1944, 218 people were shot in the ditches of the citadel of Arras, of French nationality for the most part, but also Belgian, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Soviet, Czechoslovak or Yugoslavian. The youngest of the executed was 16 years old, the oldest 69. On the Wall of the executed, 218 plaques were affixed on each of which is inscribed the name of a tortured victim.
At the entrance to the citadel a plaque bears this dedication:
“In Memoriam. 218 patriots of all origins were shot between 1941 and 1944 in the ditches of the Citadel of Arras. You who come to this place, keep in your memories the memory of their martyrdom. '
For example, the resistance fighter Alfred Touny was shot there in April 1944.