En un regard
Le château en bref
Fort d'Illange, or Feste Illingen, crowns the Grosser Berg (219 m) above the Moselle, between Thionville and Metz. Built by the Imperial German Army between 1905 and 1910 as part of the Moselstellung, it was meant to block a French attack and control the river crossings, supporting the forts of Guentrange and Kœnigsmacker in the defence of Thionville. The fortified group covers about 40 hectares: five positions linked by some 800 metres of galleries, an armoured battery of four 10 cm guns and barracks for three companies, along with concrete outworks. Captured on 17 and 18 November 1944 by the US 95th Infantry Division, it was disarmed after the war. Not protected as a historic monument, the site is today a wooded park with a historical, botanical and health trail; the interior can only be visited during occasional events such as the Journée du Fort.