Read here: Fort Queyras, a castle from 13th century

Fort Queyras, formerly called “Château-Queyras”, a toponym preserved by the village which extends to the foot of the fort, is a former fortified castle from the second half of the 13th century, remodelled by Vauban, formerly the centre of the châtellenie du Queyras, which stands in the commune of Château-Ville-Vieille in the Hautes-Alpes department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

The castle is the subject of registration as a historical monument by order of November 29, 1948. Additional information can be found on the inventory sheet.

Fort Queyras is located in the commune of Château-Ville-Vieille, in the French department of Hautes-Alpes. Built on top of a rocky peak (a glacial lock), it barred the Guil valley on the borders of the Hautes-Alpes and Italy, 50 km from Briançon and 80 km from Gap.

Strongholds protecting Haut-Dauphiné against Savoyard or Provençal incursions, it also watched Escarton du Queyras, which had enjoyed since 1343, like the whole of Briançonnais, an extensive autonomy.

Fort-Queyras goes down in history as a castle attached to Dauphiné in 1265. In 1301, mention was made of the castrum Cadrassi. In the second half of the 16th century, the castle fell prey to the Wars of Religion. The square was used for a long time as a prison, notably for “witches” awaiting the stake.

In 1695, he resisted the assaults of the Savoyard troops, but the village was partially destroyed. Following this last invasion, the same year, Vauban came to inspect the border of the Alps and drew up plans to make the castle inviolable.

He provided the fort to the north-east with an entirely new enclosure, with scarp, ditch, counterscarp and half-moon, and in 1700 provided for a large extension of the enclosure on the western front.

In the middle of the 19th century, the defences of the structure were reinforced by installing casemated batteries. The fort was disarmed from 1940 to 1944, then returned to civilian life in 1967.

Listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1948, the castle now belongs to private owners and is open to visitors. In 2021, the castle was sold at a public auction to the Judicial Court of GAP for the sum of 661,000 euros.