A 17th century military structure
The origins of the fortified site of Fort l'Ecluse go back to antiquity, since Caesar himself mentions in La Guerre des Gaules the strategic interest of the Pas de la Cluse. In the year 600, the parish of La Cluse was created by the abbey of Saint-Claude. It was in 1225, in the 13th century, that the abbey sold the Pas de la Cluse to Baron de Gex Amédée II: the latter had a fortified house built there and established a right of passage. At the heart of the feudal wars between Dauphiné and the county of Savoy, the fortified house was transformed into a castle at the dawn of the 14th century. Sold to the Count of Savoy Amédée V, the castle remains a highly disputed Savoyard property during the conflict between the Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Savoy in the 15th century. The Treaty of Lyon makes France win the fort. He then underwent several reinforcement works, especially during the 18th century. Fort l'Écluse was occupied on several occasions by the Austrians during the Napoleonic wars, to be finally almost completely destroyed in 1815. Between 1820 and 1846, a second fort was built on the heights of the first, and the whole was connected by a underground staircase of more than a thousand steps. The strategic value of the fort will decrease when Savoy joined France in 1860. However, it will still be at the heart of the conflicts during the Second World War, successively occupied by the resistance fighters then taken over by Russian and German troops. The end of the fort's military activity dates back to 1960. After a period of abandonment and deterioration, it will be the subject of the first voluntary safeguarding work in the 1980s. In 1995, an association responsible for operating the fort is created, then the management of the site will return from 1997 to the Community of communes of the Pays de Gex.
Visit the Fort l'Ecluse
Open every day in season, the fort has a car park, a shop, a bar and a restaurant area. Admission is 6 euros from 16 years old and 4.50 euros for 6-16 year olds, students and visitors with disabilities. It is free for children under 6. The site is vast and you can plan 2 to 3 hours on site to discover it. Its free or guided visit will allow you to admire the remains of several centuries of military defensive strategy: on the program of your exploration, fortified towers and turrets, loopholes and watchtowers, ammunition chambers, an incredible underground staircase or still a beautiful place of arms. The second fort, high up, offers a magnificent view of the Rhône. The guided tour is included in the price, it allows you to measure the stakes of the fort over the course of history and to decipher its military architecture. The site also offers many temporary exhibitions, which focus on the work of an artist, History or local biodiversity. Not to be missed if you are staying in a vacation rental in Genevois!
Adventure course and via ferrata
The exceptional site of the Fort is also used for outdoor recreation, such as tree climbing, climbing and via Ferrata. Above the defensive structure, the steep limestone cliff is thus fitted out with a via ferrata, the starting point of which is located near the parking lot of the fort. This is a course for seasoned practitioners, as it is quite technical. The 400 m long cliff circuit begins at an altitude of around 450 meters and climbs over 150 meters. It lasts an hour and a half and ends with a monkey bridge over the void. An original way to discover the fort and to measure the strategic aspect of its position! The upper fort is equipped with an adventure trail, combined with an interactive visit with augmented reality glasses: the opportunity to combine agility, outdoor recreation and immersion in this place steeped in history. The course includes nearly 40 workshops for all levels, including beams, tarzan jumps, zip lines or monkey bridges.
Florian Pépellin / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
