Sedan
The Battlefield of Sedan
On 1 and 2 September 1870, Prussian and allied German forces trapped and defeated the French army at Sedan, capturing Emperor Napoleon III himself and effectively deciding the Franco-Prussian War in Germany's favour.
From the source
Sedan (Frankrijk), waar in 1870 keizer Napoleon III capituleerde tijdens de Frans-Duitse Oorlog.
Editorial reading
The Battle of Sedan was one of the most consequential defeats in French history: over 100,000 French troops were taken prisoner and the collapse triggered the fall of the Second French Empire. At the heart of the town stands the Chateau-fort de Sedan, begun in 1424 and, according to its own museum, the largest fortified castle in Europe. The fortress has been a classified Monument Historique since 1965 and carries the Musee de France label since 2003, housing exhibitions on the town's military history including the 1870 battle.
Recommendation
The scale of the Chateau-fort de Sedan makes it worth visiting in its own right, and its museum places the 1870 battle within the much longer story of a fortress that has shaped the town for six centuries.