page_title: Wall of Philip II Augustus
section_title: Evolution
hierarchical_section_title: Wall of Philip II Augustus / History / Evolution
caption_attribution_description: ... La vue perspective de cette tour (fig. 61), prise en dehors de la porte de Nesle, en fait comprendre la valeur comme poste d'observation sur le fleuve. De là des signaux pouvaient être transmis au Louvre , et vice versa, sur tout le front occidental des remparts de la rive gauche et au palais de la Cité. En amont de Paris, deux autres tours à peu près semblables à celle-ci barraient la rivière: l'une, dite tour Barbeau, formait tête du rempart sur la rive droite; l'autre, dite la Tournelle, avait la même destination sur la rive gauche. Ces deux ouvrages, qui se trouvaient au droit du milieu de l'île Saint-Louis, se reliaient avec deux autres tours élevées sur les berges de cette île, coupée alors par un fossé que remplissait la Seine ...
context_page_description: The Wall of Philip Augustus is the oldest city wall of Paris whose plan is accurately known. Partially integrated into buildings, more traces of it remain than of the later fortifications.
context_section_description: Despite the construction during the 14th century of Charles V's wall encircling Philip Augustus' wall on the Right Bank, the latter wall was not demolished. In 1434, it was still considered strong enough and thick enough for a cart to be driven on top.
  However, Charles V's wall did not extend to the Left Bank, so the Philip Augustus' old wall was strengthened by:
  Excavating a large ditch in front of the wall and using the spoil behind the wall to reinforce it;
  Digging a back-ditch which merged with the main one on some sections of the wall;
  Flooding those parts of the ditch that were at the same level as the Seine. Flood water was kept in the ditches by means of locks on the river banks;
  Removal of the battlements on the towers and replacing them with conical roofs;
  Strengthening of the gates with a barbican, a bridge/drawbridge and a portcullis;
  A chemin de ronde was built along some sections of the wall for easier movement of artillery.
caption: Representation of the Tour de Nesle by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, 1856.
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