Military heritage in Haute Maurienne Vanoise

In addition to the natural fortifications provided by the mountains of Haute Maurienne Vanoise, the French and Italians have built military structures to watch over this border zone.

The Haute Maurienne...

one of France's fortified gateways

In the Alps, between the Col du Mont-Cenis and Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, a spectacular belt of forts separates France from Piedmont.

From the barrier of the Esseillon forts, built in 1833 under the reign of Victor-Emmanuel, King of Sardinia and Piedmont, to Fort Saint-Gobain, part of the Maginot Line of the Alps dating from 1930, these are true historical witnesses to the surveillance and defense of the transalpine passageway between France and Italy.

Observing them from afar or visiting them up close is a different way of looking at the men who lived here to defend their country, often under extreme living conditions, and a fitting way to pay tribute to them.