Origins of the project

From the beginning to the incription on the World Heritage List

At the start of 2003, the town of Besançon published its observations on a project to include Vauban’s fortifications on the list of Unesco world heritage sites. To determine the focus of the application and test the feasibility of the campaign, the services of the government and several scientific experts were consulted in 2004. It was established that only a group of sites could demonstrate the outstanding universal value of the genius of Vauban. He was an engineer, strategist, designer (he created more than 150 fortresses as well as some extensive civil engineering works), philosopher, agronomist, political theorist, town planner, his works are many and varied !

This group of representative sites was identified with the help of experts.

The selected sites, finally validated in April 2006, were chosen after meticulous scientific analysis of the 151 sites fortified by Vauban.

These, in alphabetical order, are :

  The citadel of Arras (Pas-de-Calais),
  The château de Bazoches (Nievre),
  The citadel, the town walls and Fort Griffon in Besançon (Doubs),
  The town walls and Forts Paté and Médoc at Blaye/Cussac-Fort-Médoc (Gironde),
  The town walls, the forts of Salettes, Trois Têtes and Randouillet, as well as the Communication Y (arched communicating passage linking two forts) and the Asfeld bridge at Briançon (Hautes-Alpes),
  The gilded tower at Camaret-sur-Mer (Finistère),
  The citadel and the walls of Le Palais at Belle-île-en mer (Morbihan),
  The new town of Longwy (Meurthe and Moselle),
  The fortress of Mont-Dauphin (Hautes-Alpes),
  The citadel and the walls of Mont-Louis (Eastern Pyrenees),
  The new town of Neuf-Brisach (Haut-Rhin)
  The walls and the citadel of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (Charente-Maritime),
  The observatory towers of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue/Tatihoue (Manche),
  The walls, Fort Libéria and the Cova Bastera at Villefranche-de-Conflent (Western Pyrenees).

From 2005 the Network of Major Vauban Sites was set-up to unite the sites proposed for the inscription. This association aims to co-ordinate the conservation, the management and the presentation of this outstanding architectural, urban and landscape heritage.

The Network of Major Vauban Sites presented the nomination to the French Properties World Heritage Committee on 22nd November 2006. On 5th January 2007, the French State made an official announcement that the Work of Vauban would be presented to Unesco in 2007. In September 2007, the Network of Major Vauban Sites underwent a rigorous visit from the ICOMOS experts (International Council on Monuments and Sites), instructed by Unesco to monitor the nomination files. The two Belgian and Dutch experts visited the sites to evaluate their authenticity and the state of conservation of the fortifications of Vauban. On July 2008, the World Heritage Committee decided to inscribe the Fortifications of Vauban. This property become thus the 32nd french sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Jean-Louis Fousseret, President of the Network of Major Vauban Sites and Mayor of Besançon congratulates himself on behalf of all the 12 towns on this decision : “It’s the achievement of four years of work and engagement to obtain by the highest international authority this recognition of the fortified heritage of Vauban. This label is a renowned reward awarded to the development policy led since a long time in each town of the Network". The Network of Vauban Major Sites has taken into account that the sites of Bazoches and le Palais have been removed from the candidature. The series is now composed of 12 sites instead of 14. The World Heritage Committee also encouraged for the next few years the extension of this inscription to other sites also influenced by Vauban.