The "Catalan Sentinels of Vauban" society aims to create a structured way to see the Vauban heritage in the Pyrénées-Orientales area of France, following the historic journey of the King Louis XIV's famous military architect in 1680:
- Perpignan
- Collioure
- Bellegarde
- Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste
- Amélie-les-Bains
- Villefranche-de-Conflent
- Mont-Louis
A tourist and cultural route map allows the fortified sites and the events going on at them to be seen and selected easily.
Since July 2008, the Network of Major Vauban Sites* has been registered on the Unesco World Heritage List as "Vauban Fortifications". This label is a prestigious reward for the development policy carried out in each of our cities. Initiated in 2004 by the municipalities, the project to register the Vauban fortifications on the World Heritage List aims to gain recognition for the diversity and richness of these fortifications. The series of twelve sites, considered to be the most representative of Vauban's fortifications, form the first complete and rational system of defense of the French borders, both maritime and land. As the first line of fortifications, these constructions were part of the definition of a modern European space.
*Created in November 2005, the Réseau des Sites Majeurs de Vauban is an association under the French law of 1901 which federates the 12 sites fortified by Vauban and registered on the World Heritage List.
*Created in November 2005, the Réseau des Sites Majeurs de Vauban is an association under the French law of 1901 which federates the 12 sites fortified by Vauban and registered on the World Heritage List.
On the occasion of the inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List, the Vauban Major Sites Network renews more than ever its will to make the work of this genius architect better known and to make the twelve selected sites a real reference in terms of management and promotion of the fortified heritage, both nationally and internationally. The Network's initiative is to develop the existing network between the sites and to enhance the experiences of each of the cities in order to stimulate new thinking in the fields of scientific research, cultural and tourist development and urban planning.
Sentinels of the territorial limits, the fortifications of Vauban are located in mountainous, maritime and urban landscapes.
Discover these 12 places chosen and sublimated by Vauban, bearing the imprint of his constructions:
Arras
Longwy
Neuf-Brisach
Besançon
Briançon
Mont-Dauphin
Villefranche-de-Conflent
Mont-Louis
Blaye / Cussac-Fort Médoc
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Camaret-sur-Mer
Saint-Vaast-La Hougue
Our network consists of the following sites:
Fort Saint-Elme in Collioure
Fort of Bellegarde in Le Perthus
Fort Lagarde in Prats-de-mollo-la-Preste
Villefranche-de-Conflent with its ramparts, Fort Libéria and Cova bastera (on the Unesco World Heritage List)
Mont-Louis (on the Unesco World Heritage List)
Sentinels of the territorial limits, the fortifications of Vauban are located in mountainous, maritime and urban landscapes.
Discover these 12 places chosen and sublimated by Vauban, bearing the imprint of his constructions:
Arras
Longwy
Neuf-Brisach
Besançon
Briançon
Mont-Dauphin
Villefranche-de-Conflent
Mont-Louis
Blaye / Cussac-Fort Médoc
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Camaret-sur-Mer
Saint-Vaast-La Hougue
Our network consists of the following sites:
Fort Saint-Elme in Collioure
Fort of Bellegarde in Le Perthus
Fort Lagarde in Prats-de-mollo-la-Preste
Villefranche-de-Conflent with its ramparts, Fort Libéria and Cova bastera (on the Unesco World Heritage List)
Mont-Louis (on the Unesco World Heritage List)