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Origin and history

Fort d'Anjou, originally named dread of Serre la Latte, is a rectangular military building located in Briançon, Hautes-Alpes. Its architecture combines two half-bastions to the northeast, wrapped in a ditch, and two small bastions to the southwest. In the centre, a vaulted barracks in the middle, covered with tiles, dominates the whole. This fort illustrates the fortification techniques of the early eighteenth century, adapted to the mountainous relief of the Alps.

The construction of the Fort d'Anjou spread between 1724 and 1734, a period marked by the strengthening of border defences during the reign of Louis XV. He owes his present name to Philip, Duke of Anjou, in tribute to this Spanish prince who became king of Spain under the name Philip V. The building, classified as a Historical Monument in 1986, reflects the military strategies of the time to control access to the Alpine valleys.

The work, with its horned works and ditches, reflects the influence of the 18th century French military engineers, who adapted Vauban's principles to the topographical constraints of the Alps. Its listing in the Historical Monuments Inventory in 1986 underscores its heritage importance, both for its architecture and for its role in the defensive history of the region.

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