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Origin and history

Fort Charles-Félix is one of five structures on the Esseillon barrier, built between 1819 and 1834 on a rocky lock overlooking the upper Arc valley, near Aussois (Savoie). Funded by the French compensation paid to the Kingdom of Sardinia after the Congress of Vienna (1815), this series of fortifications aimed to protect the Col du Mont-Cenis and Austrian possessions in Italy. Under Austrian pressure, these forts replaced the old defences of the Suse Valley, destroyed in 1796 by Napoleon. Their architectural model, inspired by Montalembert, favoured cannon towers and crossfire between the works.

Designed to house up to 10,000 men, the Esseillon forts have never experienced combat. The Franco-Sardian alliance of 1857 made them obsolete, and the Treaty of Turin (1860) imposed their destruction after the annexation of Savoie by France. Only Fort Charles-Félix was partially dismantled by order of Napoleon III; the others were reused by the French army to guard against an Italian invasion. During World War II, Fort Victor-Emmanuel served briefly as a prisoner camp (1943). Abandoned in 1967, the forts were restored from the 1970s by volunteers.

Ranked as historical monuments between 1983 and 1991, the Esseillon forts are today tourist sites combining heritage, culture and outdoor activities. Fort Marie-Christine houses a gîte and a restaurant, while the dread Marie-Thérèse offers a centre of interpretation of fortifications. Their unique architecture, immortalized by painter William Turner in the 1830s, bears witness to the European geopolitical tensions of the 19th century. The Association of the Forts of the Esseillon, founded in 1970, perpetuates their preservation and enhancement.

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