Military fortification of Doullens

Doullens was a border city until 1659. Francois the first ordered that a citadel be built in the city in 1525 to protect it from the threat created by the increase in power of artillery

This structure shows the transition in style between castles of the Middle Ages and fortified citadels which Vauban will design 150 years later.

Across the years the Citadel will have many different roles: it will become a garrison, a place of house arrest, a state jail, a place of rehabilitation for young women and finally a women's jail.

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