Vauban Dam

The Vauban dam on the Ill river in Strasbourg is a unique building, which is also a bridge, weir and is an unusual monument of defensive architecture. Today, on the roof, there is an observation deck with a panorama of the center of Strasbourg. It also houses an art gallery, where a collection of sculptures is presented.

The building was erected in the years 1686 - 1690 in pink sandstone from the Vosges. The builder was the engineer Jacques Tarade, and the author of the plans was the architect Sebastien La Prestre de Vauban and the name of the object comes from the architect's name. Initially, the dam was called the Great Castle.

The Vauban dam is 120 m long and its construction is based on 13 arches. Three arches are raised to allow water flow and regulation. One of the defensive functions of this building was to enable, in the event of an attack, to raise the level of the Ill River and flood the areas south of the city, making them impassable and inaccessible to the enemy.