Citadelle de Bitche

The walk around the fortress gives a good view of Bitche and the surrounding area. The fortress itself is quite clear and gives an insight into the fortress construction according to Marquis de Vauban.

The citadel of Bitche is the cityscape fortress of the city of Bitche in the Moselle department of the historic region of Lorraine. As a masterpiece of military technology, the citadel was classified in 1979 as a monument historique of the Pays de Bitche.

The approximately 366 m long and 30 to 60 m wide sandstone plateau on which the citadel was built, towers over the surroundings of Bitsch by about 80 m. It is strategically located at the intersection of several important since the early Middle Ages important long-distance connections from the Rhine to Lorraine and from Alsace to the Palatinate. The military commissioner Marschall Belle-Isle Bitsch, responsible for Lorraine and Bar, also played such a significant role as a junction of six roads, that of Strasbourg, Phalsbourg, Saargemünd, Zweibrücken, Landau and Wissembourg was decided in a big way. In order to obtain the necessary funds, a special tax was tendered in Lorraine, as in the lavish court settings of the dukes Franz III. and Stanislaus Leszczyński other funds were not liquid.
Until the 19th century, the rock was surrounded by ponds and marsh, which further increased its defensive capability, as the enemy could not deploy any heavy siege material. A marker on the topmost plateau indicates a height above the sea level of 365 m. The view from the height of the fortress reaches into the wide, hilltop north Vosges.

Source: Wikipedia

The citadel can be visited.
Details on opening hours, etc. can be found here: citadelle-bitche.com

The citadel of Bitche is the highlight of the place and it dominates the entire cityscape.
A visit with the multimedia demonstrations I can only recommend.

The access times vary slightly depending on the entrance / presentation.
But the core time is around 10am to 5pm


For motorhome drivers is certainly interesting that there is a parking space at the citadel.