The Heritage of Vauban in the Hautes Alpes
The Heritage of Vauban in the Briançonnais
Fort de Mont-Dauphin, the centre of the fortified town of Briançon, plus all the military heritage sites dotted along the neighbouring summits form part of the 12 major Vauban sites which became UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2008. Exploring these heritage sites is a great way to discover the culture and history of the area as well as its beautiful scenery.
The stronghold of Mont-Dauphin overlooks the confluence of the Rivers Guil, Durance and Chagne. This strategic site was built by Vauban in 1693 to control access through the mountains to Italy to the east, Dauphiné to the north and Provence to the south. It comprises a village where civilian houses mingle with an exceptional collection of military buildings such as the officers’ quarters, gunpowder magazine, arsenal, barracks and fortifications. Guided tours allow visitors to experience the everyday life of the soldiers and discover the peculiarities of the place and its distinctive architecture.
Further to the north the Briançonnais becomes an open-air museum of three centuries of French military architecture. From the old fortified town, your gaze is drawn towards the near and distant summits, all crowned with forts or military installations which impress as much by their high altitude location as the precision of their construction. The town itself, surrounded by ramparts designed by Vauban, is topped by forts which make it impregnable, a magnificent, imposing site and an excellent tribute to the genius of Louis XIV’s famous engineer in adapting to different surroundings.
Fort des Salettes, Fort des Trois Têtes, Fort du Randouillet, Pont d'Asfeld in Hautes-Alpes
The most impressive of Vauban’s principal constructions are : Fort des Salettes, imagined by Vauban in 1692 to occupy the sloping ledge of Le Poët, dominates the town ; Fort des Trois Têtes, pivotal point of the Briançon defence system, is an imposing construction which in 1721 replaced the defensive camp situated on the Plateau des Trois Têtes, judged by Vauban to be of prime importance in the defence of the town ; the position of Fort Dauphin at the same firing height as Fort des Salettes ensured that access to the town via the route from Piedmont was prohibited ; Fort du Randouillet, in a steeper, narrower position than the other forts, extended to three platforms and its main role was to prevent enemy attacks from the summits.
Another military heritage construction near Briançon is the Pont d’Asfeld. The remarkably designed stone bridge across the River Durance has a single arch measuring 40m. A lovely walk from the old town of Briançon lets visitors discover the different fortifications and cross the famous bridge.
The large number of these constructions and the quality of their conservation plunges visitors into a very distinctive universe where history is intermingled with architectural prowess.
Kévin and Zoé tell us about their family trip to discover the fortifications : « We planned to take a full day exploring the forts of the Durance Valley. We started off at the Visitors Centre at Mont-Dauphin and a guided tour of the site – definitely a good choice and an excellent introduction ! The following day we explored the old town of Briançon and climbed up to Fort des Têtes which was a wonderful opportunity to discover the scale of the military heritage buildings and enjoy the spectacular views over the surrounding mountains and the Durance Valley. To finish up, we strolled through the streets of old Briançon visiting little souvenir shops and meeting some very friendly people. »
How to get to Briançon
By air : to Turin (Italy) 153km, Lyon 261km, Marseille 258km
By road : RN85, RN75, RN94 and autoroute A51
By rail : to Montdauphin/Guillestre, TGV to Grenoble, Valence, Aix en Provence"
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