The Vauban citadel, overlooking Seyne, bears witness to the history of the valley since the 17th century. Already equipped with medieval fortifications, the city which then bordered Savoy was deemed insufficiently protected by Vauban, the great engineer and military architect of Louis XIV.
In 1691, Vauban erected a citadel which followed the crest of a rocky spur and thus dominated the ramparts and bastions which had been reinforced. Narrow and elongated in shape, the citadel is in fact adapted to the particular relief of the land and includes a 12th century tower inherited from military works from the Middle Ages. Protecting the small city located at its feet, the citadel, remodeled in the 18th century, lost its strategic interest in the following century and, threatening ruin, ended up being bought by the city during the 20th century.
You will discover genuine cannons, the impressive period cistern with its stalactites, the old bread oven, films, and exhibitions on the history of Seyne and its fortress.
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.