Type Fort Year built 1783 | Address 29200 Brest, France | |
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Architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Similar Brest Equitation, Centre Equestre Poney Cl, Guilers Equitation, Moal Poney Club d'Au, Hôtel du Questel | ||
The Questel Fort (Fort du Questel) is a " redoubt " based in Brest. It is a fortified structure of type Vauban. It forms a closed square, with the main entry point placed on the least exposed side. This large quadrangle 100 meters wide is located between Fort Keranroux (1.5 km south) and Fort Penfeld (1 km to the North-east), and is also part of the same fortifications as Fort Montbarey.
The Fort du Questel monitors across the valleys of the Moulin du Buis where the enemy could be established to bombard the city and Brest harbor. Surrounded by deep moats and accessible by a drawbridge, it consists of a masonry wall (scarp), topped by a covered way for the Musketeers. This path is itself dominated by an earthen rampart, down for supporting artillery (26 guns in total).
The garrison in place, about 200 men, had access to various galleries, including two large underground ones that connect the central courtyard to the parapets. Note also the presence of toilet facilities, which at the time of Vauban, was still a privilege.
Built on a 6-hectare site, the Fort du Questel dominates the valley of Allégoet, a stream tributary of the Penfeld. This site is now part of a set of refurbished natural spaces that lead to the banks of Penfeld by a circuit passing in front of the hospital in the Cavale Blanche.
On site, the fortress offers walks through its sheltered green moat and its underground, its staircases, scarps and counterscarps, its esplanade and fresh undergrowth nearby.