Fort d'Issy

Fort d'Issy stands as a physical reminder of the mid nineteenth century effort to encircle Paris with a massive defensive net. Completed in eighteen forty-five, it was one of several detached forts positioned on the heights surrounding the city to guard against foreign invasion. Its location was specifically chosen because, decades earlier in eighteen fifteen, Prussian forces had successfully used these same Issy heights to overlook and threaten Paris. By placing a fortress here, French planners intended to reclaim the high ground and secure the city against any future coalition armies.