Photo : Thomas Bresson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Citadelle de Belfort
The Belfort Citadel, sometimes called the Citadel of Liberty, was designed by Vauban from the old medieval castle that overlooked the town. Built of pink Vosges sandstone, it clings to the rock and is part of the Vauban fortifications inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage.
Its location, between the Germanic Empire and the kingdom of France, made it a major strategic point, in the heart of the Belfort Gap.
You can walk the court of honour and the galleries, take the Great Underground with an audioguide, and climb the Tour des Bourgeois and the belvedere for the panorama over the town. Museums are set within the enclosure. The Brisach gate, the only gate preserved from the town's fortifications, can also be seen during the visit.
