Entrevaux

Situated on the river Var and on the road from Italy, Entrevaux was once an important border town. It lies on the north bank of the river, and the citadel is farther north on a pinnacle that rises high above the town.

Entrevaux had long been fortified before Vauban ever visited it. The town was first given walls by the romans, then again in medieval times. When Vauban did visit, he was concerned that the citadel, although in a dominating position, was too far from the town to protect it.

He planned a front of two bastions that could be built half way up the hillside towards the citadel to cover the town. Vauban also designed a hornwork to protect the southern side of the bridge and some improvements to the citadel.

Budget limitations meant that Vauban's plans had to be downsized. Although his plans for tower bastions on the town's main wall and the hornwork protecting the Porte d'Italie were kept, the hornwork protecting the bridge and the front half way up the hill were scrapped. To compensate for this, two seperate redoubts were constructed instead of the large hillside front, and a smaller tower was built to protect the southern end of the bridge.

The main entrance to the town is protected by two medieval towers, which have had embrasures added to them. Most of the walls are medieval, but Vauban converted them for modern warfare with the addition of loopholes and tower bastions.

To the north-east is the only part of the defences that is easily approachable. Here lies the Porte d'Italie or the Italian gate, which is an interesting double gate. The outer gate is in the hornwork, and is protected by a ditch. If an attacker were to penetrate this gate, he would find himself in a courtyard inside the hornwork with the inner gate to his right, protected by another ditch and a loopholed wall.

The entire courtyard could be raked by the loopholes and embrasures. Interestingly, the inner ditch is connected to the outer ditch by a sally-port. On the western side of Entrevaux is the Porte de France or French gate, where the road along the northern bank of the river enters the town. This gate is another double-gate, with the inner gate immediately after the outer one.

From the northern walls, a fortified path winds up the steep mountainside to the citadel. It is protected by a loopholed wall on its outer side and by numerous traverses. The two small forts that provide covering fire for the town are accessed from the fortified path.

The citadel itself is perched on a pinnacle of rock high above the town. Its townward side has very few embrasures - it is too far from the town to be of any value as an artillery platform. On the northern side however, where the citadel is more accessable, it is more strongly fortified.

The northern gate is protected by a ditch furnished with a counterscarp gallery. Standing at the highest point of the citadel it is easy to see Vauban's point view - the town seems a long way away here, and is partially obscured by the mountainside below.

Visiting Entrevaux

The fortifications of Entrevaux are very well preserved. The town's walls remain as Vauban built them, and they can be visited from the tourist information (on the left as you go in through the main gate), but this is not really worth the money in my opinion.

Only a small portion of the top of the walls is accessable from here and the path is rather scruffy and overgrown in places. The impression is that you are walking through people's back gardens some of the time. On the whole it is easier (and free) to walk round the outside of the walls.

The citadel can also be visited (you need buy a token from the tourist office for around €5, which will operate the turnstyle at the foot of the fortified path). It is quite a climb, but well worth it once you are there. I found (in summer 2004) that the citadel was undergoing restoration, but was still visitable. There are plenty of underground passages to explore (steep ladders and dangerous drops, too) so remember to take a torch.

Entrevaux has a station, not to far from the old town and is also accessable by road (no non-resident cars are allowed in the old town). This fortress, although in the alps, is within striking distance of the Côte-d'Azur, being fairly close to Nice and Cannes.