Fort de Chillon

Geschichte

The Fort de Chillon is a twentieth-century fortification directly adjacent to the medieval Château de Chillon on the edge of Lac Léman in Switzerland. The fort secures the road and rail lines that pass along the lakeshore running east from Lausanne to the mountainous interior of Switzerland. The position is an advanced work protecting the approaches to Fortress Saint-Maurice, part of the Swiss National Redoubt. Deactivated as a military post in 1995, it is privately owned and is being converted to a wine cellar.DescriptionThe Fort de Chillon lies directly adjacent to the Château de Chillon, a major tourist attraction. The site has been fortified since at least the 12th century. The Fort de Chillon is a mixed infantry-artillery fort, located almost entirely underground in the steep slope rising to Veytaux above the rail line. The location is spanned by the Viaduc de Chillon. Built at the opening of the Second World War (1941), it was armed with a mixture of 75mm guns and 90mm anti-tank guns. Initial work was completed in 1942. The fort was designated A390 in the Swiss fortification nomenclature. The ensemble included permanent and rapidly deployable anti-tank obstacles, designed to stall or trap an enemy while the fort's weapons fired on them.The fort was initially armed with two 75mm anti-tank guns for direct fire, replaced with 90mm guns in 1962. Two other 75mm guns were retained until 1978. Two additional 90mm guns and five machine guns completed the offensive armament. Defensive arms included two machine guns each at the Rocher de Veytaux and Montagnette, with three at Champ-Babaud, along with two 81mm mortars. Infantry bunkers command the road and rail lines adjacent to the castle, linked to the main fort by underground galleries.

"Une visite inoubliableNouvelles technologies, approche ludique et interactivité imprègnent nos trois expositions. Avec pour fil conducteur une émotion omniprésente, incarnée par des ambiances sonores et visuelles.Votre visite se portera certes sur le Fort en soi, mais se veut surtout un reflet de l’aventure du Soldat Suisse et la découverte du Réduit National au travers de quizzs, de jeux de stratégie, de jeux de réalité augmentée et 3D.Mettez au défi vos connaissances historiques et géographiques!Plongez dans le monde militaire de manière inédite, mémorable et passionnante, et découvrez les secrets de la vie dans un bunker et l’aventure du soldat."