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A new town on the plain. When Longwy-Haut became French under the 1679 Nimeque Treaty, Louis XIV decided to destroy the old medieval town and replace it with a «new town» to form a major defensive link on the north-eastern border. Vauban skilfully adapted the layout of this stronghold to the steep terrain, on the edge of a cliff and dominating the Chiers valley and low town.
The fortress forms a hexagon with six bastions and is well-equipped with all the facilities required by a place of war; a church, arsenal, well and barracks, laid out perpendicularly. Over and above these military features, Longwy also reflects Vauban’s conception of the ideal town.
A monumental gate and four bastions are still well-preserved. Two of them house cross-shaped magazines, an exception in the engineer’s work, and the two others have modified powder stores. In the town centre, the square parade ground with its large public well was surrounded by public buildings of which the Town hall and Saint Dagobert Church still remain today.
After each siege and attack in 1792, 1815, 1871 and 1914, Longwy managed to rise from the ashes and today the town pursues an active enhancement policy for its Vauban heritage.