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Château Trompette (No Longer Extant)

This detailed plan of Fort Trompette, otherwise known as Château Trompette, depicts the fortification situated in Bordeaux, France.

Engraved by J. Luffman, the map illustrates the strategic layout and defensive structures of the fort, which was built by the renowned military engineer Vauban under the orders of Louis XIV. The fort is positioned along the Garonne River, providing a critical defensive point for the city.

The plan highlights key elements of the fort, including the chapel (A), barracks (B), governor’s house (C), royal gate (D), fountain (E), quay (F), harbor gate (G), and Chartrons gate (H). The surrounding areas are marked as esplanades, indicating open spaces towards the city and the suburbs. The fort's design includes intricate bastions and ramparts, characteristic of Vauban’s military architecture, aimed at maximizing defense and fortification.

 The first Château Trompette was constructed in 1453, alongside the Hâ Castle, during the reign of King Charles VII of France following the expulsion of the English. This initial fortification, however, was unable to withstand the Fronde troubles of 1648. Subsequently, it was restored by the engineer Nicolas d’Argencourt. In 1659, Louis XIV ordered its reconstruction into a bastioned citadel with glacis, creating a kind of esplanade. 

The construction of the second Château Trompette began in 1664 and was completed eleven years later, including the fort de Sainte-Croix on the right bank of the Gironde. The Knight of Clerville, under the direction of Colbert, designed the projects, while engineer and architect Nicolas Payen supervised the on-site work.

In 1680, Vauban recognized the fort's weaknesses in defending the river and the port of Bordeaux. He proposed modernizations but eventually abandoned the project in favor of focusing on the triptych of fortresses at Blaye downstream. Thus, the modification of Château Trompette was limited to minor rectifications.

The fortress was rectangular with six bastions (four at the angles and two in the middle of the rectangular lengthwise section) and three ravelins (a large one in front of the main gate facing the town and two smaller ones in the middle of the two longitudinal sections). Each angled bastion included a bastioned tower, likely intended as a shooting platform. Inside, the fortress featured a governor’s residence, barracks, a guardroom, a chapel, and other facilities. The outer walls were notably decorated with plates in relief, adorned with decorative links.

Today, there are no visible remains of Château Trompette, although the Rue du Château Trompette still exists near the Monument aux Girondins in Bordeaux. It was downgraded in 1785 by Calonne, a minister under Louis XVI, and demolished the following year despite opposition from the parliament and the local Bordeaux population. The Revolution temporarily halted the demolitions, but they resumed in 1797 under the Governing Council. In 1808, Napoleon I ceded the land and equipment to the town of Bordeaux, a gesture continued by Louis XVIII. Although some foundation traces were uncovered during maintenance work, documentation of the citadel's appearance relies on the relief map preserved at the Musée des Invalides in Paris.