Barrage Vauban

The Barrage Vauban spans the Ill River with thirteen massive stone arches. Designed by engineer Tarade under the direction of Vauban in the late seventeenth century, this structure was meant to defend Strasbourg from invasion. If an enemy approached, the defenders could close the sluice gates to raise the water level, flooding the land to the south and making the city inaccessible. King Louis the Fourteenth watched its construction personally, hoping to secure his newly conquered territory against the Holy Roman Empire.