Locations

In 1870, France was partially occupied by the Prussian armies, who besieged the capital for several months. Following this military disaster, a defensive system proposed in 1874 by the general-engineer Séré de Rivières allowed the construction of fortifications to reinforce the defense system of the capital. The construction of the Fort de Saint Cyr began in 1875 and the army moved in in 1879 to protect the southwestern tip of Paris.
During the First World War, the Fort of Saint-Cyr continued to play the role of first defense of the capital. After the war and until 1939, the site was used by the military meteorological service and as a depot for explosives and ammunition. Then, a civilian school of meteorology was established in 1944. Since 1982, it has been assigned to the Ministry of Culture, and its premises now house the photographic archives of the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie.
The Fort has been classified as a historical monument since 1992.