Fort des Têtes

Fort des Têtes
Briançon, France

Fort des Têtes from the Croix de Toulouse
Fort des Têtes
Coordinates 44°53′43″N 6°39′00″E / 44.89528°N 6.65°E / 44.89528; 6.65
Type Fort
Site information
Owner French Army
Controlled by France
Condition Preserved
Site history
Built 1721 (1721)

The Fort des Têtes, also known as the Fort des Trois-Têtes, is a fortification in the vicinity of Briançon in the Dauphiné region of southeastern France. It was first surveyed by Vauban in 1700. In 1709 the Marshal Berwick established a fortified camp on the plateau, overlooking the valley of the Durance from a height of 1,440 metres (4,720 ft). The position controlled the high valleys of Fontenil and Fontchristiane. A permanent bastioned triangular fort was built between 1721 and 1723 to designs by Tardif and Nègre.[1] The position was used by the French Army in the defense of Briançon until 1940, when it was part of the Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné.[2]

The fort is connected to the main town by the Pont d'Asfeld, designed by Vauban. The fort has three principal frontages and a lower fort covering the approaches. The garrison comprised about 1250 men serving 70 artillery pieces. The Fort des Trois-Têtes is linked to the nearby Fort du Randouillet by an enclosed, fortified gallery known as "Communication Y."[3] In the 1880s two ammunition magazines were excavated, one within the rock, the other trenched and covered with earth.[4]

The Fort des Têtes, along with Communication Y, the Fort du Randouillet and other military works of Briançon, was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008, as part of a network of Vauban-related sites.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Le fort des Têtes, Briançon ( 05 )" (in French). Chemins de Memoire. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques (2009). Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5 (in French). Histoire & Collections. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-2-35250-127-5.
  3. ↑ "Le Fort des Tetes". Le patrimoine fortifie de Briancon. Ville de Briancon. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  4. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; Aublet, Jean-Louis; Mainguin, Sylvie (2010). "Têtes (fort es Trois)". Index de la fortification française 1874-1914 (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  5. ↑ "Fortifications of Vauban". World Heritage. UNESCO.

External links

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