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Origin and history

Fort de la Marguerie is a former Italian military facility built in 1883 to secure the Tende Pass, a strategic point between France and Italy. Located at an altitude of 1,849 m near the Mercantour National Park, it was part of a network of fortifications designed to control the Roya Valley, which leads to the Mediterranean via Vintimille. These works, of the Italian battery type (1877-1880), were intended to prohibit a French advance towards the south of the Alps.

Integrated into a broader defensive system, the fort was never engaged in fighting but sheltered garrisons. Its role was comparable to the border issues between Menton and Vintimille. After the 1947 treaty redefining the border, the fortifications, initially Italian, became French. The site, set on a slope, dominates the ridge line and illustrates the alpine military architecture of the late 19th century.

The fort belongs to the Tende Pass complex, including other works such as forts Central, Pernante or Giaure. Although never used in battle, it reflects the geopolitical tensions of the time and Italian defensive engineering. Today, it is referenced in French cultural inventories, notably via the platforms of the Ministry of Culture and the Southern Region.

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