The citadel of Belfort is a set of fortifications and defensive elements overlooking the city from a rocky promontory to the south, and protecting the “gap of Belfort”, a strategic communication axis that allows access to the Rhine Valley by borrowing a natural corridor between the Vosges mountains in the north and the Jura mountains in the south.

A medieval castle was first rebuilt in the seventeenth century by the Count of Suze to adapt to the progress of the artillery then the famous military architect Vauban decided to create a real citadel by expanding the site’s function in defense of the city herself.

There are soaring lookouts and subterranean passages and a program of re-enactments in summer to bring different stages of the citadel’s past back to life.