Central courtyard outside the Mont-Vaudois Fort - Fortified belt - near Héricourt - Vosges du Sud — ©Fort du Mont Vaudois|Both Better

PODCAST #1 The Mont Vaudois Fort

At Héricourt, perched on a hill, stands a military fort of impressive proportions. But behind these thick walls lies much more than a vestige: it’s a living place, passionately restored by a handful of dedicated volunteers.

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Memories in stone and the beating heart of volunteers

Alain, president of the association Les Amis du Fort du Monts-Vaudois, is the guardian of this memory. In front of the drawbridge, he welcomes visitors with humility and a love of detail. He tells the story as if he had lived it.

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Visit to the Mont Vaudois Fort - Vosges du Sud — ©Fort du Mont Vaudois|Destination 70

Salle Intérieure du Fort du Mont Vaudois - near Héricourt - Fortified belt - Vosges du Sud — ©Fort du Mont Vaudois|Etienne Kopp

Built between 1874 and 1877 to defend the border, the fort could accommodate up to 700 soldiers. There was a bakery, casemates, a carefully ventilated powder magazine… and even an underground spring at 4°C all year round.

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Emotions and anecdotes

One of Alain’s most vivid memories is of a former FFI who came to lay a bouquet for his comrades who fell there in 1944. He was 97 years old. “He showed me everything… He was crying. It was very moving.

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Artillery platform - Outside the Mont Vaudois Fort - near Héricourt - Fortified belt - Southern Vosges — ©Fort du Mont Vaudois|Both Better

Fort du Mont Vaudois under a blue sky - Vosges du Sud — ©Fort du Mont Vaudois|Etienne Kopp

Exterior of the Mont Vaudois Fort - near Héricourt - Fortified belt - Southern Vosges — ©Fort du Mont Vaudois|Both Better

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Encounters in the Southern Vosges – Whispers from the Mont Vaudois Fort, a military giant