Citadel — From Royal Fortress to University
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Transcript
Amiens’ citadel was developed after the city came firmly under royal control in the late sixteenth century. Fortification here served national defence, but also expressed the monarchy’s power over a strategically important northern city.
Centuries later the military site lost its original function and was integrated into the University of Picardy Jules Verne. The conversion preserves walls while changing who is allowed inside and why.
That reversal is worth noticing: architecture once designed to restrict access now houses education. Adaptive reuse works best when the new function changes the social meaning of a place rather than merely occupying it.