Brijancon Fortress, a World Heritage Site in France

Vauban was the military engineer of King Louis XIV of France. At the age of 34, he began to oversee the military projects to consolidate the kingdom. Of the 160 fortresses he built or restored, three were in the Hautes Alps. They are: Château Quay, Montdauphin and Briançon. The latter two were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2008. Due to the natural topography of Briançon, Vauban could not follow any existing model. He designed staggered vertical city fortifications and suggested creating fortified belts to enhance the defense of towns. The small town inside the Brijançon Fortress, which was built in ancient Roman times, is particularly attractive for sightseeing. Even though it was planned and built so long ago, the drainage system in the town does not feel backward at all even by today's standards. The area where the Fortress of Brijançon is located has a recorded history dating back to the time when Caesar conquered Gaul. It was ruled by the Ligurian lord Tannus, who was initially Caesar's opponent but later reached a settlement to continue his rule over the territory. When Augustus, the successor of Caesar, suppressed an uprising of the Alpine tribes in Alpine Gaul, Tannus' son and successor Marcus Julius Cordius initially remained independent, but later formed an alliance with Augustus and the family continued to rule the area as part of the Roman province until it was annexed by Nero and became part of the province of Alpine Cotia. In 1040, Briançon and the surrounding valleys fell into the hands of the Counts of Alban until 1713, when, according to the Treaty of Utrecht, Briançon and the surrounding valleys were all transferred to the jurisdiction of Savoy, and became part of modern France. In 1815, Briançon was able to successfully resist the siege of the Allied forces thanks to the strong fortress designed and built by Vauban. The new town of Brijancon was built on an open area outside the fortress. It can be imagined that when the fortress was built, all the houses in the new town today were open areas, and all were within the killing range of crossfire. #OverseasTravel #EuropeTravel #France #WorldCulturalHeritage #WorldHeritage #Fortress #Alps #france #unesco #unescoworldheritage #briançon