Briançon : Strong dolphin

This fort monitored the northern entrance to the city. He was one of the fortifications designed by Vauban after the invasion of the troops of the Duke of Savoy in 1692. First called Fort Bifeuil, the Fort Dauphin was built from 1724 to protect the fort from the heads. He was renamed in 1729, when the dolphin was born. Its construction almost ended in 1734 and did not undergo any major changes thereafter. It has a trapezoidal bastioned fortification. A large crossing, having the same shape as the southeast attack wall, protects the barracks located in the north. A ditch, with a counter-escarp and a covered path, surrounds it on three sides. Access is from the south via a portal, preceded by a wooden bridge, and overlooked with a cut triangular pediment. This portal leads to the barracks, which has a facade with eleven spans and two levels. The interior of the barracks is accessible by two stairs. A tank is dug under the northern staircase, near the kitchens. The rooms in a row are vaulted to resist artillery. The southeast facade has a row of loopholes.