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Origin and history

The Fort de Varois is part of the vast fortification program launched after the French defeat of 1870 and the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. This defensive system, conceived by General Séré de Rivières and adopted in 1873 under the Thiers government, was designed to compensate for the disappearance of the natural barrier of the Vosges. Between 1874 and 1914, 166 forts, 43 small structures and 250 batteries were erected, organized into two lines: a first at the border, a second in support, as in Dijon, to lock access to Paris and control the Morvan.

The fort of Varois, built between 1877 and 1880, was designed to secure the Dijonnaise road eastward. Its typical architecture of the forts Séré de Rivières includes a cannon vaulted barracks, dry ditches and caponières. A notable feature is its entrance door in bricks and stones, inspired by the 17th century style. Designed for a three-month autonomy, it had food stores, wells and tanks, reflecting the military self-sufficiency standards of the time.

Ranked Historic Monument in 2007, the fort also includes an annex battery on its right flank. Today, its property is shared between the state and a private company. The site illustrates the defensive engineering of the Third Republic, marked by technical innovation and a strategic response to the post-1870 territorial upheavals.

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