Fort de Bron

Fort de Bron
Lyon in France
Entrance of fort de Bron.
Fort de Bron
Coordinates	45°43′56″N 4°55′18″E / 45.732187°N 4.921567°E / 45.732187; 4.921567
Type	Fort
Site history
Built	1875–1877

The Fort de Bron is a fortification built between 1875 and 1877, located in the commune of Bron. It is part of the second belt of fortifications around Lyon, which also includes Fort de Vancia, Fort de Feyzin and Fort du Mont Verdun.

Its history is linked to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Indeed, as a result of the Treaty of Frankfurt which ended the 1870 war, France lost Alsace and Lorraine, reducing its borders. To ensure the defence of Lyon, it built a strong cordon of forts encircling the city to the east, which included the forts of Bron, Vancia, Feyzin and Mont Verdun. These forts were equipped with significant amounts of artillery with all the hardware, staff, and powder storage that this then entailed.

When a defensive reorganization occurred in France in 1874, the commune of Bron was therefore included in the crown of detached forts, to protect the stronghold of Lyon.

From 1875 to 1885, the following were built successively around the town:

The Fort de Bron is the only one remaining.

Fort de Bron was completed with two annexed batteries at Lessivas and Parilly. But advances in artillery quickly made these forts, and therefore that of Bron, ineffective, inadequate and unable to defend Lyon. During World War I, which did not see fighting in this region, the fort was used only as a barracks and equipment warehouse. During the Second World War the Germans used it as a prison. The French army used it until 1962 as an annex of the air base; it was decommissioned in 1963.

Ravelin protecting the entrance.

Barracks. The building is above a water tank constructed later.

Room housing the drawbridge when retracted.