The fortified town was intended to guard the border between France and the Holy Roman Empire and, subsequently, the German states.

It was built after the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 that resulted in France losing the town of Breisach, on the opposite bank of the Rhine.

[3] Work began on the fortified town in 1698, to plans drawn by Vauban, a military engineer at the service of Louis XIV.

[4] The city suffered damage in World War II, but still represents a very clear example of the latest in fortification work at the beginning of the eighteenth century.

[5] In 2008, the ville neuve of Neuf-Brisach was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Fortifications of Vauban group.