Fort de Bellegarde facts for kids
The Fort de Bellegarde is an old fort built in the 1600s. It's a type of strong castle called a bastion fort. You can find it high up above the town of Le Perthus in southern France. It's in a part of France called the Pyrénées-Orientales département. In Catalan, people might call it Fort or Castell de Bellaguarda.
History of the Fort
The town of Le Perthus, where the fort is, became part of France after a peace agreement called the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
The fort itself has seen many battles:
- In 1674, Spanish forces captured Bellegarde.
- But just one year later, in 1675, a general named Schomberg took it back for France.
- In 1678, famous French military engineer Vauban designed new plans to make the fort even stronger. His ideas were approved, and the fort was rebuilt.
During the War of the Pyrenees (a conflict between France and Spain):
- Spanish forces attacked the fort in 1793. They surrounded it for a long time, trying to capture it. This is called a siege.
- Then, in 1794, French forces had to lay siege to the fort themselves to get it back from the Spanish.
Much later, during World War II, the fort was used for a different purpose. It became a holding prison. The Gestapo, a secret police force, used it to hold people who had escaped from prison camps or enemy agents.
Visiting the Fort
Today, the Fort de Bellegarde is a place you can visit!
- It is open to the public only during the summer months, from June to September.
- Inside, you can see exhibits that tell the story of the fort. These exhibits cover its history, what archaeologists have found there, and information about the area around it.
- The fort is owned by the French government. Since 1967, it has been listed as a monument historique. This means it's a very important historical building, protected by the French Ministry of Culture.
See also
- Le Perthus Pyramid
- Els Límits
