About Vauban

History

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Marshal of France, lived in the seventeenth century. Appointed by Louis XIV as General Commissioner of fortifications in 1678, he improved the defense of cities and besieged himself many cities including Lille in 1667. Vauban was a multifaceted genius: civil engineer, military architect, planner and French essayist.

In 2008, UNESCO classified twelve Vauban citadels as World Heritage patrimony.

His inquiring mind and his practical vision of things made him one of the greatest men of his time and a precursor of the Lumières. Proven humanist, Vauban was already concerned about the welfare of society and human beings. Frank spirit and forthright, he did not hesitate to denounce social injustices and economic problems of France in his essays.

This practical, honest and ingenious spirit is the essence of the culture of Vauban.

"The art of fortifying is not only in rules and systems, but also in common sense and experience."
Sebastien Le Prestre Vauban

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