Model-tower, 1811 type facts for kids
A model tower (also called an Empire tower or a Napoleon tower) was a special type of fort designed in 1811. These towers were meant to protect France's coastlines. Building them started in 1812 along the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. However, the project stopped in 1814, and only 12 towers were ever finished.
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Why Were Model Towers Built?
Emperor Napoleon I wanted to make France's coastlines safer. He asked for a new type of fort that could hold everything needed for defense in one building. This included places for gunpowder, food, and homes for the soldiers who operated the cannons.
Napoleon thought that cannons placed openly on the coast were too easy for enemies to attack. By putting them inside these strong towers, they would be much safer. These towers were part of a plan to create a chain of defenses along the coast. They were similar to the Martello towers that the United Kingdom built around the same time (between 1804 and 1812).
The Plan and What Happened
This defense plan was officially called "model towers and redoubts, 1811 type." The building work began in 1812 and was supposed to last for ten years. But when Napoleon gave up his power in 1814, the project was stopped.
The original plan was to build 160 of these forts: 106 along the Atlantic coast and 54 in the Mediterranean. By 1814, only 12 towers were completed. Six of these were in an area called Finistère, near the roadstead of Brest. Later, in 1846, another ruler named Louis-Philippe of France tried to finish this defense chain. He used a different design called crenellated guardhouses.
Different Kinds of Model Towers
The model towers came in a few different designs, each with its own size and purpose.
Model 1 Tower
Model 1 towers were the largest. They were about 16 meters (52 feet) wide. These towers could hold up to 60 soldiers. They were also designed to have four large cannons, either 24-pounder or 18-pounder guns.
Model 2 Tower
Model 2 towers were smaller, about 10.5 meters (34 feet) wide. They could house 30 soldiers. These towers were meant to hold one field gun and two caronades (a type of short cannon).
Model 3 Tower
Model 3 towers were the smallest of the tower designs, about 9 meters (29 feet) wide. They could hold 18 soldiers, or 12 soldiers plus a person to guard the cannons. These towers were designed to have two caronades.
- Pointe du Toulinguet, Camaret-sur-Mer
- Pointe du Créac'h Meur (second level and top walls are gone), Plougonvelin
- Pointe du Grand-Minou, Locmaria-Plouzané
- Saint-Marzin, Plougonvelin
Model 4 Defensive Guardhouse
This design was 9 meters (29 feet) wide and had two levels. It was more like a guardhouse than a full tower.
Model 5 Defensive Guardhouse
This was also 9 meters (29 feet) wide, but it only had one level.
Images for kids
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Model 1 tower in Pointe des Espagnols
