Fort Barraux

Fort Barraux is one of the oldest and most prestigious defences in the Alps. A bastioned fortification created in the 16th century, it was subsequently modified, notably by Vauban in the 18th century.
This type of architecture, which appeared in Italy in the early 16th century, is the successor to the traditional fortified castles. This can be explained by the evolution of firearms, and in particular cannons, which were becoming more and more efficient. A bastioned fortification is characterized by its star shape, bristling with bastions (pentagonal structures replacing the cylindrical corner towers of medieval times) and advanced works.
Fort Barraux would be revised and improved over the centuries, especially during a major campaign of works ordered by Vauban (Louis XIV's famous military engineer) in 1692 and 1700.
As a sentinel of the Grésivaudan, the fort's main function was to act as a deterrent. But it also served as a garrison and a warehouse for weapons and ammunition. It also served as a prison. Military, for enemy troops (German officers stayed there in 1917 and 18), but also civil, during the Second World War: from July 1940, it became a Centre de Séjour Surveillé, where black market traffickers, political prisoners, foreign men and women of Jewish origin on transfer to concentration camps were locked up...