Fort Großherzog von Hessen

Fort Großherzog von Hessen stands on the right bank of the Rhine at Mainz-Kastel. It formed part of the outer ring of forts around the fortress of Mainz. Together with Forts Kastel, Mars and Petersaue it protected the river crossing and the northern approaches to the city. Napoleon ordered its construction in 1805 to strengthen the Rhine front after Mainz became French. The fort was named after the 1800 Battle of Montebello and built under the engineer Simon François Gay de Vernon. By 1813 it was complete, though many works remained unfinished at the start of the liberation wars. After Mainz passed to German control the fort was enlarged and its main ramparts finished between 1828 and 1830. Visitors today find no trace of the old bastions. The site was levelled under the Versailles treaty and replaced by modern houses. Only the street named Im Fort Montebello keeps the memory alive. A panorama of the Rhine by J. F. Dielmann from 1833 shows how the fort once looked.