After the signing of the Treaty of Nijmegen, to command the respect of the Spanish garrison in Luxembourg and to close the opening in the Ardennes between the Meuse and the Moselle, Louis XIV decided to create a fortified town at Longwy. He had the old château and medieval Longwy-Haut destroyed in order to build the "new town" slightly further north, on the edge of the plateau which overlooked the Chiers valley and the lower town. Construction began in 1679. Longwy holds a very special place among the 160 towns on which Vauban worked: it was one of nine towns he constructed "ex nihilo" (from nothing) and which therefore best portray his vision of an ideal town.

The fortress was constructed to a star plan with six bastions. All the equipment needed for a wartime base was provided: a sizeable church, a large arsenal, eleven barracks and five wells. The wall was surrounded by ramparts, with two entrances: Porte de Bourgogne (destroyed in 1914) and Porte de France, which were built symmetrically north and south of the parade ground (today known as Darche Square, from the name of the colonel who defended the Longwy site in 1914) set in the centre of the hexagon.

Longwy was besieged four times, with the siege of 1914 causing the most damage. The north-western part was completely destroyed. The buildings around place Darche also suffered: the third floor of the tower of Saint Dagobert Church fell in 1871, and the governor's palace was destroyed in the same siege, whilst the interior of the town hall was bombed in 1914. Despite this, certain buildings survived and are now Historic Monuments: the Siege Well, the Porte de France (finely decorated for the king's visit) whilst others have been given new uses: the Ordener barracks, the military services building, etc.

Guided tours of these surviving buildings are now available to visitors. A large number of structures recount the history of Longwy.

Longwy fortified town

Tourist Office:

Place Darche 54400 Longwy-Haut

Tel: +33 (0)3 82 24 27 17 - +33 (0)3 82 24 94 54

Fax: +33 (0)3 82 24 77 75

e-mail: ot-longwy@wanadoo.fr

The strategic location of Saint-Nazaire led the Germans to build a huge submarine base there during World War 2.

The construction of this base began at the beginning of 1941. The base was 300 metres long and 150 metres wide, and 450,000 cubic metres of concrete were needed to build it.

It contained 14 cells: 8 for repairs and 6 larger cells in which the submarines could remain afloat. It housed two U-Boat fleets. It spread over a total surface area of 4 hectares and its concrete ceiling was 4 metres thick.

The immensity of this construction and the characteristics of the port of Saint-Nazaire, which was one of the only ports on the Atlantic capable of housing battleships, forced the Allies to carry out particularly intense bombing raids on it.

In 1942 a British commando raid attempted to destroy the base. The civilian population suffered greatly from this Allied policy and 80% of the town was destroyed.

The German garrison of 24,000 men defended the base to the bitter end, making Saint-Nazaire one of the last Atlantic ports to surrender on 11 May 1945.

Since then, this gigantic concrete edifice has become a major focus in the reconstruction and development of the town.

The base is still there today and dominates the port and the estuary. It is now hosts various tourist attractions including the International Ocean Liner Centre, the tour of the submarine 'Espadon' ('Swordfish') and an 'ecomuseum', which give an extra dimension to this historical site.

The public can also visit the panoramic terrace, which offers an unbeatable view of the town.

Base sous-marine

Boulevard de la Légion d'Honneur - 44600 Saint-Nazaire

Situated in the eastern part of the Alpes-Maritimes département, the village of Sospel lies to the south of the green valley of la Bévera, on the edge of the Mercantour park and the valley of les Merveilles, 15 km from Menton and the Mediterranean. Fort Suchet, also known as du Barbonnet, is one of a group of fortifications in the region that constitutes the last bastion ahead of the road to Nice that prevents any potential invader coming from the col de Tende pass.

2 km south of Sospel, perched on the narrow rocky outcrop of Mount Barbonnet, Fort Suchet looks down on the village from an altitude of 847 m. Constructed between 1883 and 1886 with the objective of sealing the la Bévéra and le Merlanson valleys, this compact, Séré de Rivières type fort is pentagonal in shape, surrounded by a wide moat and flanked by three caponniers.
The building work was carried out by Captain Azibert, whose name is still engraved on the façade of the entrance to the fort. In 1891 a cavity was dug out of the rock in order to contain a powder store. Then, in 1914, two three-storey high turrets, armoured with lead were added to the structure. One of the two double 155 mm Mougin turrets has been perfectly preserved until the modern day, which is extremely rare.
This first construction was seconded by a Maginot fort built into the rock on the side of the mountain, constructed between 1931 and 1935. It was an artillery block, controlling the le Merlanson valley as far as the col de Castillon, with an entrance and barracks protected by more than twenty metres of rock.
In June 1940, the 95th artillery foot regiment, who resisted the Italian attacks with orders not to surrender until after the armistice, occupied the place. Tours organised in the holiday season allow comparisons to be made between the defensive systems of the 19th century Séré de Rivières fort with the more recent structure, most of which is underground.
In addition to Fort Suchet and the Maginot structure built on Mont Barbonnet, there are several fortified structures close to Sospel, and the most notable ones played an active part in the fighting of June 1940.
Constructed between 1932 and 1936 on the crest of Mount Agaisen, this fort is one of the links in the Maginot line, in the heart of the fortified sector of the Alpes-Maritimes. Equipped since its completion with powerful artillery, the structure is composed of three concrete blocks set upon an infrastructure of underground galleries. Owned by the town of Sospel since 1964, it is currently undergoing restoration and its annex has been converted into a water tower. Public tours are organised in season, with groups welcome all year round by appointment. Site: perso.wanadoo.fr/agaisen/contacts.htm
The impressive Fort Saint-Roch was constructed between 1931 and 1933 and flanks the Maginot structure at l'Agaisen. The four blocks in reinforced concrete were built above a network of galleries dug out of the rock, which were used for logistical purposes. . Reaching depths of up to thirty metres, this fort was designed to hold more than two hundred soldiers for three months. Fort Saint-Roch is open to the public and holds a permanent exhibition tracing the history of its building and the battles fought there, highlighting its technological prowess at the time if its construction.
Getting to Sospel 40 km from Nice via the A 8 (exit no. 59 "Menton and Sospel ") and then the D 2566. Sospel Tourist information and activity centre Le Pont-Vieux 06380 Sospel Tel. + 33 (0) 4 93 04 15 80 Fax + 33 (0) 4 93 04 19 96 e-mail: infos@sospel-tourisme.com

To the south east of la Croisette, the archipelago of the Lérins islands separates the Gulf of Napoule to the west from the Gulf of Jouan to the east. It comprises four islands: two large ones (Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat) and two small ones (the islet of la Tradelière and the islet of Saint-Féréol). The island of Sainte-Marguerite is the closest to Cannes, just 700 metres from the Palm-Beach headland, and the most extensive, covering more than 160 hectares. The island takes its name from a chapel built there in honour of the martyr of Antioche during the first centuries of Christianity. After the occupation of the island by the Romans, whose traces still remain today, for many centuries Sainte-Marguerite belonged to the monks of Lérins. In 1617, the Duke de Guise gave Jean de Bellon the task of building a fort intended to block access to Cannes. Constructed between 1624 and 1627 on the site of remains dating back to Roman antiquity, at the time it was nothing more than a simple fortified house.

This small fortification was enlarged and strengthened by the Spanish who occupied the islands of Lérins from 1635. Two bastions and the first barrack buildings were added to the existing construction. With a garrison of approximately 800 men on the island of Sainte-Marguerite, the Spanish troops were faced with the vital question of supplying drinking water and invented a system for collecting rainwater, which fed into a large well built upon enormous tanks. Today you can still see the four decantation basins where the water was purified before filling one of the two tanks set under the well. In 1637, the French took back the Islands of Lérins, and named the citadel the Royal fort. The fortification was then considerably strengthened: the moats were made deeper, the curtain wall was raised and two demi-lunes were then linked to the fort by elevated walkways, which have since disappeared. The royal governor, Guitaut, also had a "tenaille" built, a low bastion placed in front of the entrance gates to the fort, which bears his name today.
At the end of the 17th Century, Louis XIV's general commissioner of fortifications personally inspected the fort, and gave instructions to strengthen the square. Work carried out as a result of Vauban's visit give the fort most of the appearance that we still recognise today. 26 metres above sea level, the structure projects over a rocky cliff on the northern coast of the Island of Sainte-Marguerite, opposite cape Croisette. It is a small fort that is pentagonal in shape, flanked by four bastions at its weak points, on the land side. On the coastal side, the structure's stone ramparts are supported by an earth embankment and blend remarkably into the sheer cliff. Inside the compound, a chapel, and several barns used to house the troops and the artillery stores still survive today. Amongst the latter, we can see the impressive building that constituted the powder store, surrounded by the walls of the royal bastion to the south of the fort, probably intended to reduce the consequences of any accidental explosion. After this, the structure was the subject of minor alterations. And so, in 1862, a semaphore was constructed by raising one of the fort's old towers. Later, during the occupation by German troops during the Second World War, a surveillance station was established on one of the fort's triangular promontories Today, several buildings are in ruins and the invading vegetation is gradually taking over the demi-lunes and the ramparts. However, teams of young workers from Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur have been helping to renovate the fort for more than thirty years. The ramparts have been made safe and building repairs and much restoration work have been carried out so as to make visits possible to this fortification, which is unique along the Cannes coastline.
From 1637 onwards the first cells were fitted out in the governor's château. But it was in 1685, at a time when the Royal fort accommodated a large garrison, that the fort was dedicated definitively and first and foremost to be used as a state prison. So, in 1687, Governor Saint-Mars, on the orders of Louis XIV, had a parallelepiped stone building constructed inside the compound, inside which several cells were soon fitted out. The prisoners held inside the fort include most notably: [list]the famous, but nevertheless unidentified, Iron Mask, held for 11 years from 1687 to 1698; [list]Six protestant pastors, imprisoned following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, from 1689 until their death in 1713; [list]Jean-Baptiste Suard, who would become the eternal secretary of the French Academy, incarcerated between 1751 and 1753; [list]The Smala d'Abd el-Kader, from 1843; [list]600 Austrian prisoners, detained in 1859 after the battle of Montebello; [list]Marshall Bazaine, the only prisoner to have escaped from the Royal fort in 1873, in what legend describes as a fantastic escape and after whom a terrace of the fort is today named. The Royal fort also has a smaller detention area, reserved for soldiers. The Museum of the Sea, located inside the fort, allows visitors to look at some of the cells, including that of the Iron Mask, as well as those occupied by the protestant pastors, to whom there is now a memorial.
On the Island of Sainte-Marguerite Although the Museum of the Sea allows visits to the inside of the Royal fort compound and its dark cells, it also has a second museographic area, which houses an important collection of submarine and land archaeology. In the heart of the old roman reservoirs and recently restored chambers, the museum exhibits the wrecks of boats that ran aground off the shores of the Islands of Lérins. Visitors can also see a model reconstruction of the roman water reservoir system, a collection of painted designs dating back to antiquity and a room housing aquariums presented by the permanent centre of initiatives for the environment, which display the underwater flora and fauna of the Mediterranean. Inside the fort, an entertainment and accommodation centre has been established which is able offer different types of holidays to a varied clientele: introductory classes and training courses for sport or cultural activities for schools, playing host to business associations or committees, organising seminars etc. Lastly, the island of Sainte-Marguerite is able to welcome around half a million visitors per year because it can also offer an extraordinary natural heritage. The island is criss-crossed by forest paths and a coastal path that allows a circuit of the island close to the clear seabed. A well-marked botanical trail allows visitors to spot the many kinds of maritime plants and trees. To the west of the island, the Batéguiers lake offers shelter to the many migrating birds that can be observed throughout the year. Its 150 hectares of pine and eucalyptus forests make the island of Sainte-Marguerite a unique setting for quiet walks along the coastline of the Alpes-Maritimes. The national forestry office is responsible for the protection of the island's remarkable forest plantations, welcoming the public by offering activities as an introduction to this rich natural environment. On the island of Saint-Honorat The island of Saint-Honorat has several chapels, constructed very early on to welcome pilgrims. Although today one of them is in ruins, the six others were restored in the 17th century and more recently with the aid of the original plans. At one end of the island there is a cannonball oven, employed by the artillery of the First Empire to heat the projectiles used to set fire to the wooden boats that threatened the coasts. The island is also home to the abbey of Lérins, which houses a community of about thirty monks of various nationalities, who cultivate lavender and work the vines. A jewel of the feudal architecture of the Provence area, the fortified monastery was constructed between the 11th and 14th centuries and is open to the public. The abbey produces a liqueur made from around thirty aromatic plants, whose recipe remains secret and which must be consumed in moderation.
Cannes Tourist Information Office Esplanade Georges Pompidou BP 272 06403 Cannes Cedex Tel. + 33 (0) 4.92.99.84.22 Fax + 33 (0) 4.92.99.84.23 e-mail: tourisme@semec.com The Museum of the Sea Open every day, except Monday and some Bank Holidays. Closed annually in November. The museum is free on the first Sunday of every month and on a permanent basis for the under 18's and students under 26 years of age. Free guided tours can be arranged by appointment. Museum of the Sea Parking Pantiero Fort de l'île Sainte-Marguerite Tel. + 33 (0) 4.93.38.55.26 Access by sea from Cannes. Several maritime transport companies operate along the islands' quays, at the end of the Laubeuf car park. Services to the Islands of Lérins operate all year round (allow around twenty minutes to cross to the Island of Sainte-Marguerite).

At the end of the 17th Century, France was in conflict with the League of Augsburg. Along with his Dutch allies, the Prince of Orange, who had become William III, King of England, imposed a maritime blockade on the kingdom of Louis XIV. Corsaires departing from the port of Saint-Malo broke through the Anglo-Dutch barricade in a spectacular storming action. Faced with the enemy threat, the Sun King decided to equip the islands off the Saint Malo coast and in 1689 gave Vauban the task of establishing a wall of artillery around this strategic position at the entrance to the Channel.

The Conchées islands extend two nautical miles to the north west of Saint-Malo. Beaten by winds and currents, the Fort de la Conchée is anchored to the Rocher de Quincé. Part of the protection system for St Malo, and the structure furthest from the port, this small fort was designed to enable enemy ships attempting to bombard St Malo to be taken from behind, by securing an access route to the harbour out of reach of Cézembre's canons: " the Passe aux Normands".
Construction of the building began in 1692 from plans that Vauban had entrusted to Siméon de Garangeau, who was appointed director of fortifications in Saint-Malo. On the 27th November 1693, the English seized the fort as it was being built, but failed in their attempt to destroy the city of St Malo using the famous infernal machine, a vessel loaded with explosives which ran aground on the reefs before reaching the city's ramparts. Considered to be finished in 1695, the Fort de la Conchée resisted another attack that same year from the English fleet, commanded by Admiral Berkeley. With a surface area of 1,600 m², the fortification has the appearance of a stone vessel with rounded edges, concealing curved internal vaults. The stonework of the thick ramparts has been reinforced not only to strengthen the fortification against enemy fire, but also in order to protect the small rock supporting the building from the onslaught of waves. On the lower level, a monumental entranceway, with the King's arms carved into the rock, provides direct access to one of the fort's lower chambers. On the upper level, artillery terraces housed gunwale canons (above the parapet, due to the elevated position of the structure's ground floor), which allowed the gunners to reach the hulls of the enemy ships. At the end of the 18th century an oven was built inside the structure to heat the Meusnier cannonballs. Protected from enemy projectiles by a stone base and equipped with a semi-circular vault enabling the cannonballs to be heated by reverberation, this oven allowed the constant heating of several dozen cannonballs in just one hour. It also acted as a deterrent at a time before the invention of vessels with armoured hulls. In fact, just the smoke from such an oven was often enough to make any attacker head off back to sea.
During the Second World War, the Fort de la Conchée was taken over by the occupying troops and used as a training target by the heavy German batteries. It suffered a lot of damage, most notably in 1943, when fire from one of these batteries seriously damaged the southern gable of the structure and destroyed the officers' living quarters on the terrace. In 1944, Saint-Malo was occupied by the German garrison of Colonel von Aulok and, from the 6th August onwards, was heavily bombarded by the allied army Most of the city was destroyed, the ramparts seriously damaged and all the fortification's living accommodation reduced to nothing. When allied troops took back possession of the Fort de la Conchée, the former war machine was in ruins and no longer had any defensive purpose.
Saint-Malo Tourist Information Office Esplanade St-Vincent 35400 Saint-Malo tel. + 33 (0) 8 25 16 02 00 fax. + 33 (0) 2.99.56.67.00 e-mail: info@saint-malo-tourisme.com

In the far south of the Pyrénées Orientales region, the Côte Vermeille (‘Vermilion Coast’) hugs the Mediterranean sea and is sheltered by the Albera Massif to the west. Nestled in the bottom of a cove along this rocky coastline, the village of Collioure is rich in historic monuments that mix together religious art and military architecture.

In addition to its royal palace built between the 13th and 18th centuries, and its 17th century church known for its phallic bell tower, Collioure is overlooked by Fort Saint-Elme, south of the port. Fort Saint Elme, like the fort in Salses, was erected between 1538 and 1552 by King Charles V to protect the Spanish Kingdom (Castile and Aragon) and help fight the French in Italy and lead the war up to the north of France and Burgundy. Importantly Charles V was the great grandson of Charles the Bold (Duke of Burgundy), a Burgundian prince who was desperate to take back Dijon (Duchy of Burgundy) occupied by Louis XI in 1477. To fight in the north, it was important to be protected in the south.

Saint Elme (St. Elmo in English) is the patron saint of sailors and the fort does actually resemble a ship protecting Collioure and Port-Vendres.

Its star shape also prefigured the architectural style of Vauban. In the mid-16th century, Charles V built a fortified redoubt around the medieval keep, not that this offered any resistance to Vicomte de Turenne. Often called simply Turenne, he captured the fort in 1642 after a siege that lasted several weeks and allowed the defenders to leave with “all arms and flags flying”, in other words with the honours of war. After Collioure was annexed to France by the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, Vauban came to inspect the region’s defence system and decided to reinforce the fortifications by building barrack buildings protected by moats.

Fort Saint-Elme was further modernised in the late 18^th century with the addition of a water tank and a network of underground tunnels to protect the inhabitants from artillery fire. Invaded by the Spanish in December 1793, the fort was soon after besieged by French troops led by General Dugommier.

Situated on a crest overlooking the fort, a battery, converted into a redoubt in 1844, is a still-standing testament to this siege that ended in May 1794 following the victory of the French, who reclaimed Collioure and its fortifications.

Fort Saint-Elme was a private property from 1913 and requisitioned in 1942 by the occupying troops before it was pillaged in 1944 when they decamped. Entered in the inventory of historic monuments in 1927, the fort is now open to the public.

Collioure Tourist Information Office

Place du 18 juin 66190 Collioure

Tel: +33 (0)4 68 82 15 47

Fax: +33 (0)4 68 82 46 29

Email: contact@collioure.com

Getting there: 30 km (19 miles) from Perpignan via the N114.

Collioure Tourist Information Office

Fort Saint Elme

In 1815, the Congress of Vienna sentenced France to return Savoy to the King of Piedmont-Sardinia, allied with Austria. Victor-Emmanuel I used a proportion of the ample compensation paid by France to fortify the Alpine barrier and block the French army's passage into Italy.

Since the glacial rock bar allowing access into Piedmont was no longer protected since Napoleon had destroyed the fortress of Brunetta de Susa in 1796, the decision was made to reinforce the protection of the routes between France and Italy around Esseillon.

Dominating the Arc Valley along two kilometres over Modane, the rocky foothills of Esseillon, a natural defensive barrier a hundred metres high, blocks the access to the Haute-Maurienne Valley and Mont-Cenis Pass, between Savoy and Turin. In 1817, excavation was started to strip the rock intended to hold the future constructions. At the heart of the grandiose mountains of Haute-Maurienne, the huge construction of a military town was entrusted to a young captain from Piedmont, Olivero.

Educated on Austrian defence systems, he put into practice the theories of Marquis de Montalembert, a French artillery general in the 18^th century: the forts were designed to block the enemy’s path following a line of defence perpendicular to the direction of their progression. Five structures were erected, the way the valley flared placing everything out of the reach of enemy artillery stationed on the surrounding summits. Named after the first names of members of the royal family of the House of Savoy, these thick-walled forts flanked by breaks making crossfire possible. They form a majestic architectural ensemble that effectively fulfilled its role of blocking the path through Mont-Cenis Pass, the gateway into Italy, until 1860.

In this year, marked by Savoy's reannexation to France, the crenellations cut into the fort walls, mainly directed towards France, now served no purpose. The defence structures in Esseillon were modified by the French, in such a way as to counter invaders coming from the East.

In 1871, drilling started on the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, transferring the border defence fortifications to the valley around Modane. Stripped of any strategic interest and weakened by shells, these remote and cold imposing structures perched at over one thousand five hundred metres altitude were downgraded to a site for holding disciplinary battalions or prisoners. The fortifications were saved from fire until the Second World War.

Built between 1818 and 1828, Fort Victor-Emmanuel was the major component of the Esseillon defence system. Sat at the edge of a cliff at 1,350 metres altitude, the fort comprises a parallel series of eight, two-storey buildings, two of which were specifically batteries for cannons. The main entrance, reached by a wooden bridge extended by a metal drawbridge, led through to the headquarters building that housed the staff, the barracks, and logistics buildings, including two wells that supplied the garrison with water.

The fort’s fire plans were directed towards the village of Avrieux and the royal road connecting Chambéry to Turin, although a number of embrasures also flanked the area surrounding the Marie-Thérèse redoubt. A path suitable for motor vehicles bordered by projecting stones snaked inside the fort and facilitated the movement of batteries. Inside the building, a maze of staircases and vaulted galleries provided easy access for moving cannons about. On the Sardinian side, a ditch was bordered with caponiers, structures detached from the escarp.

A prison was built in 1833 for the purpose of holding Italian liberals. Initially conceived as a base station in the event of an attack, the fort was designed to hold a garrison of 1,500 men serving 35 cannons. A thriving hub, it also contained a hospital and a chapel. In June 1940, it was at the centre of the defence system of the 281st artillery regiment, before being used by the Italians, who started to imprison French resistance fighters there in 1943. During the course of winter 1944, Fort Victor-Emmanuel was used as a support base for the 6th battalion of Alpine hunter operating against the German troops entrenched at Mont-Cenis. Today, some entrance points into the fort are dangerous and are currently being reinforced as part of the general restoration programme of the complex.

Erected between 1819 and 1830, Fort Marie-Christine is the highest fort of the complex overlooking the structure in its entirety from an altitude of 1,500 metres. A typical perpendicular fortification structure popular with Marquis de Montalembert, rid of its traditional bastions, the hexagonal complex still maintains a perpendicular face to the enemy. Dedicated to defending the north side of the valley, the fort and its 20 cannons provided an effective flank of the Charles-Albert and Charles-Félix forts as well as the road leading to Aussois.
Encircled by a wall and preceded by a ditch in the east, and a vertiginous cliff to the west, the fort was built over three levels: a ground floor occupied by rooms used for logistics; a first floor where the army barracks were situated, and an upper level consisting of a covered terrace with cannon embrasures. The main entrance was protected by a weighbridge positioned under the crenellations at the guard posts. The central courtyard is surrounded by blockhouses surmounted with vaults that could hold up to 500 men. Originally, a secure passage was provided to Fort Charles-Albert by a long low building that is no longer standing today.

Entirely renovated, today Fort Marie-Christine offers visitors a number of features in addition to its historical interest and importance as a national monument. Housing a gîte and a restaurant, it is a fascinating place to stay and enjoy a meal. Also an activity centre, in 1987 it was made the fifth entrance to Vanoise National Park and offers climbing enthusiasts a range of well-established ascents for both novices and the more experienced.

Protected in the north by the Arc Abyss, to the west of the Saint-Anne Nant ravine, Marie-Thérèse redoubt is the only structure in the Esseillon defence system built on the left bank of the Arc Valley. Constructed from 1819 to 1825, this redoubt in the town of Avrieux was intended to block the Route Royale through Mont-Cenis Pass.

Within reach of the cannons at Fort Victor-Emmanuel, from the other side of the abyss, the structure resembles an irregularly-shaped horse shoe, the western end extended to house the entranceway and the weighbridge facing France. Designed to hold a garrison of two hundred men, the Marie-Thérèse redoubt was organised over two levels of vaulted blockhouses placed around a modest central courtyard. On the upper level, visitors can see triple embrasures, which can accept one cannon and two rifles. A shooting gallery buried in the counterscarp of the ditch thus guaranteed an efficient close defence system. Goods were initially supplied using a system of cables erected across the Arc Ravine and connecting the structure to Fort Victor-Emmanuel. Then in 1850, a narrow suspension bridge over the abyss broke the redoubt’s isolated position by connecting it to the structures located on the opposite side of the Arc Gorges: a covered walkway stretched the length of the bridge, which was defended by a guardroom.

The same year, a swing bridge controlled by a small fort set 50 metres back from the redoubt was erected to protect the access to the fort.

In June 1940, the redoubt was occupied by the 281st infantry regiment, then, after the armistice, by the Italian and German troops until September 1944. Currently under renovation, a part of the structure is today open to visitors. Suspended 100 metres over the void, the bravest visitors can enjoy an unspoilt view over the Arc Gorges from the ‘devil’s bridge’. This gangway destroyed in 1940 was reconstructed in 1989 as part of the project to open the Esseillon site as a cultural and sports site and is today one of the starting points of the via ferrata climbing trail.
Completed in 1827, this building, just like Fort Marie-Christine (wife of Charles-Félix) formed a small unit designed to block the path of troops along the road connecting Aussois and Modane. Stood on the western cliff, it was accessed from the east via an earth ramp leading to an immense door made from hewn stones facing Fort Victor-Emmanuel.

To the rear of the building, a cemetery, known as the Sardinian Cemetery, was used to bury the dead from across the Esseillon site.

When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860, the agreements signed by Napoleon III and Cavour, the prime minister of the nascent state of Italy, stipulated that the fortified complex at Esseilon must be completely destroyed. However, Fort Charles-Félix was the only structure wrecked on the emperor’s order, after three days of shellfire. Visitors are strongly dissuaded from entering the structure today due to the high risks of collapsing walls. Between Fort Marie-Christine and Fort Victor-Emmanuel, the fort ruins make a breathtaking site from the main road, revealing the former dungeon surrounded by a star-shaped wall.

In 1832, the construction of a last fort was started. This was due to the fact that the defence system made up of the existing four structures contained a breach north of the village of Aussois. Linked by a trench to Fort Marie-Christine standing at the same altitude, Fort Charles-Albert was therefore intended to complete the entire complex by blocking access to the north of the site of Esseillon. The structure was never completed and the construction terminated in 1834. Today, only the ruins of two small garrison buildings and the base of one tower can be seen overlooking the valley in Aussois.

Esseillon Fort

Aussois Tourist Information Centre, Maison d’Aussois, 73500, Aussoi

Tel: +33 (0)4 79 20 30 80

Fax: 04.79.20.40.23

Email: info@aussois.com 

Tours

Visitors can take guided tours around the buildings open to the public. The new vocation of Esseillon’s defence system is also enhanced by numerous tourist trails with a variety of themes. Nature trails are a great way to explore the wealth of flora and fauna in the region, offering routes to be explored by foot or snowshoe via a network of footpaths, climbing trails for the more athletic or restoration projects at the structures in high season for a more laborious activity. There are a variety of ways to discover the forts in Esseillon and the area surrounding this unique fortified complex in France.

Getting there

From Chambéry (107 km), Grenoble (145 km), Lyon (220 km), Geneva (200 km), or Turin (110 km), via the alpine A43 or A41 motorways (exit at Modane). From Modane (7 km), international train station, by the D215.

Site of Maison d’Aussois

As well as the glamour and glitz and the façade of the local 'gendarmerie' that graced the French silver screen, Saint-Tropez boasts a long and eventful historical past, of which the most obvious example is the citadel that dominates the town.

A first 'enceinte' or protective wall with its bastioned structure was built around the town in the 15th century for the dual purpose of protecting the site from invasion and to ensure the King's authority over the inhabitants. In 1589, Maréchal de Villars supervised the construction of a small fort on the hill known as 'colline des Moulins' overlooking Saint-Tropez. This fort was destroyed in 1595, but the military engineer Raymond de Bonnefons chose the same site to build further defensive structures from the start of the 17th century.
1607 saw the completion of the citadel's present-day keep, a thick-walled hexagonal tower concealing a huge interior courtyard, accessible via a drawbridge, and strongly defended by an artillery platform and three round flanking turrets with cannon embrasures. A few years later, a bastioned outer wall was built around the keep and lined with a system of moats and counterscarps. Situated between Toulon and Antibes, Saint-Tropez became a strategic port of call in the protection of the French coastline, and all its defences faced out towards the Mediterranean. In 1637, the inhabitants of Saint-Tropez saw off a surprise attack on the port by around twenty Spanish ships and four royal navy vessels. No major changes were made to the citadel until the 19th century, when military engineers gave the structure its current silhouette. The outer walls were pierced and adapted to store gunpowder, and the entry to the internal courtyard was rendered accessible to vehicles, via a bascule drawbridge designed in 1830. During World War 1, the fortified town became a detention camp for German prisoners, who carried out various public works in the local area. From 1942, the citadel was occupied by Italian troops, then by the Germans. The citadel and the town was liberated by the Allied troops and the First French army after the landing on the Mediterranean beaches between Saint-Raphaël and Hyères in August 1944.
The citadel is located in a harmonious setting of wooded hills, accessed by following a footpath lined with eucalyptus and rosebays, where it is not unusual to find wild peacocks. Since 1958, the edifice has housed a naval museum comprising of a dozen rooms offering the visitor the opportunity to discover the naval heritage of Saint Tropez from antiquity to the modern day. The permanent exhibition presents archeological submarine equipment, models, engravings and paintings of boats, as well as a collection of documents recording the extraordinary lives of famous local people: two rooms are devoted entirely to Pierre André de Suffren, bailiff to the King, and Jean-François Allard, an officer under Napoleon who became generalissimo of the forces of an Indian Prince. Naturally, the history of the Allied landing is also covered, in particular courtesy of exceptional military staff maps from the period retracing the progress of the liberators. Access to the upper terrace of the museum offers visitors a superb panoramic view. Looking towards the sea the view of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime is extraordinary with a combination of jagged rocky coastline, headlands, bays, creeks and islands. Looking inland, when the hot mistral wind is blowing, the view spans both snowcapped mountains and the red rocky landscape of the Estérel hills. On the terrace, four Spanish cannons seized from the enemy continue to symbolically scan the horizon in anticipation of an attack that will no longer materialise.
Access to the Citadel of Saint-Tropez 70km from Toulon via Hyères by the A 57, then the N 98 to Bertaud, and the D 98a. 100km from Nice by the A 8 (exit no. 38 Fréjus, St-Raphaël), then the N 98 via Sainte-Maxime, and the D 98a. 120km from Aix-en-Provence via Brignoles by the A 8 (exit no. 13 Le-Cannet-des-Maures, Vidauban, La Garde-Freinet), then the D 558 to Bertaud, and the D 98a. Visiting the naval museum Open all year round except Tuesdays and some public holidays. Possibility of guided tours (also in English during the tourist season). Saint-Tropez Tourist Office Quai Jean Jaurès 83990 Saint-Tropez Tel. 33/ (0) 494 974 521 Fax 33/ (0) 494 978 266 Minitel 36 15 VAR e-mail: tourism@ot-saint-tropez.com

After the defeat by Germany in the war of 1870, France will loose Alsace and a part of Lorraine. Furthermore it is condemned to pay a war indemnity of five billion gold-francs and hasn't got the right to defend on the Eastern borders anymore. The technological progress achieved by the artillery since 1858 (loading with cylinder heads and the use of striped canons) considerably increased its range and precision: the existing fortifications, including those of Paris, are now completely obsolete.

The government of Adolphe Thiers react vigorously to this situation and charges General Raymond Séré de Rivière to draw up a report on the defence of France. The new Parisian defence plan includes the construction of a defence enclosure of 43 works, which measure six to seven kilometres of distance from the original enclosure of 1841.

The envisaged budget equals to 400 million gold pieces and will exceeded of 33 million!

Since in 1870 the Prussians used the Parisis Hillock as observatory and artillery position, the fort of Cormeilles is considered as a priority. Its mission is, on one hand, to block the peninsula of Argenteuil, market gardening zone, essential for a new eventual siege of Paris. On the other hand the fort of Cormeilles is used to protect the road, as well as the railway access to the Montmorency valley towards Pontoise and Rouen in crossing the shootings with the fort Monlignon.

It was built between 1874 and 1878, for a total cost of 3,3 million gold. This price includes the purchase of the grounds and the construction work of a public company, controlled by the civil engineering.

The fort has the shape of an irregular trapezoid, whose 1,2 kilometres long ditch consists of three clay kaponiers. This fort of first generation (central massive building and high levelled battery), possesses two fronts turned towards the attacker and two flanks turned towards Paris, in order to save in terms of earthworks and to ease an eventual re-conquering of the fort. Originally a grid, followed of a clay pit by two fusillade crenels, protected the entrance of the fort. Nowadays this pit is filled. A gantry makes the crossing of the obstacle possible, by being retracted on the left with the use of a winch.

A central massive building, protecting the officer's building, includes 7 cellars for canons and sheltering mortars intended to beat the slopes of the Hillock. Here the artillery peak wasn't possible to see. The garrison of the ford included 36 officers, more than a thousand men and 24 artillery horses. This fort being one of the first built among the defence enclosure of the Séré de Rivère program, serves as testimony and its plans are diffused among the engineers as an example.

From 1855 it is however out of date because of the shell-torpedo crises. The engineers modify many of the Séré de Rivière forts. The fort of Cormeilles will not profit from any modernization program.

During the first world conflict it is used as deposit and also as anti-aircraft battery against the zeppelins that came to bombard Paris.

During the short campaign of 1940, the artillery pieces of the fort open fire and shoot down several enemy planes. The Germans occupy the building and use it as ammunition deposit for the Kriegesmarine. From now on they shelter anti-aircraft batteries of 20 mm Flack instead of the old 75 mm guns.

Released by the FFI of the region the fort is then used as a prison to lock up the war prisoners, the collaborationists and the traffickers of the black market. The last officer leaves this place in 1955 and the prison will be closed in 1956. In 1967 the fort is assigned to the 23rd infantry regiment of the Navy and accommodates an initiation centre of the commando which will function permanently, in particular also for many reserve units, until the dissolution of this regiment, at the beginning of the 80's. Given up from the Ministry of defence to the Ile-de-France region, the fort is today managed by the association "Friends of the Cormeilles fort" (l'association des amis du fort de Cormeilles), which is at present looking for objects and documents relating to the work, in order to enrich the collection and build a military museum at the heart of the fort.

Le fort de Cormeilles

Contact  : Les amis du fort de Cormeilles

1, Route stratégique 95240 Cormeilles-en-Parisis

Tél. 06.80.92.48.57

E-mail : jean-pierre.mazier@wanadoo.fr

Visits The association Friends of the Cormeilles fort organizes each first Sunday

at 3 p.m. of the month guided tours of the fort. Access to Cormeilles-en-parisis

By car : 40 km from Paris. Take the A 115 in direction to Cergy-Ponyoise via Franconville

(exit n°2 Ermont-Cernay, Franconville, Sannois).

By train (RER) : SNCF railway station of Cormeilles

is connected during the rush hours by a shuttle service to the RER (A) station of
Sartrouville and to the RER (C) station of Montigny-Beauchamps during the whole day.

By train : 15 min from the Saint-Lazare station, direction Pontoise or Mantes-la-Jolie. 

Fort de Cormeilles

Covering an area of hectares, The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is one of fourteen American Second World War cemeteries on foreign soil, and is managed by the ABMC, American Battle Monuments Commission.

9,386 graves are arranged in rows on this huge rectangular area, each marked by a stele in white Italian marble, in the form of either a cross or a star of David. On the right hand side of the entrance there is a capsule that will be opened on 6th June 2044, a century after D-day: it contains press articles from the time, and a message from Eisenhower to future generations.

The cemetery memorial consists of a colonnade with a seven-metre bronze statue symbolising American youth at its centre. Opposite the rows of graves, on the plinth of the work created by Donald De Lue, the following inscription can be read: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Both ends of the semi-circular colonnade overlook loggias guarded by two great urns crowned by statues. The walls display maps carved into the stone representing the successive phases of the battle: the action of the airborne commandos, the naval plan of the landings, and the fighting on the four beaches. To the east of the memorial, the arc of the circle described by the garden to the missing holds the mortal remains of 1,557 American soldiers who were either drowned or unidentifiable. A chapel stands amid the graves, housing a coloured mosaic symbolising America blessing its children as they left to fight for freedom. A flight of steps leads to the sea, from where visitors have a wide panorama over Omaha Beach, as shown by the viewing table. Twelve kilometres away, rises the Pointe du Hoc monument erected by the French, and accidentally glimpsed in scenes from the 1962 film, "The Longest Day"

The remains of the heroes of the Normandy campaign have rested in peace since the official inauguration of the cemetery on 18th July 1956. Their final resting place was given in perpetuity by the French Republic to the United States of America.

Tours

Opposite the memorial, the American flag flies every day over the great bowl formed by the site, which is closed on 25th December and 1st January.

Access

Seventeen kilometres north-west of Bayeux, via Surrain.

The Normandy American Cemetery "Omaha Beach"

14170 Colleville-sur-Mer

tel. +33 2.31.51.62.00

fax. +33 2.31.51.62.09

American Battle Monuments Commission

Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500 2300 Clarendon Boulevard Arlington,

VA 22201 United States Of America

tel. (00 1) (703) 696-6897