As promised to johnsalomon, some pictures of my first explore ever …
History
After losing the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the French government decided to upgrade its military facilities. The project included the construction of 160 coastal forts. This particular one was built in the late 1880s to guard one of the entrances to the Marseille harbor. It was originally equipped with 6x240 mm guns, with an additional 4x95 mm guns in the nearby annex. In the early 1920s, the Marseille airport was built, and this fort became part of its anti-aircraft defenses. The German Wehrmacht occupied the fort from 1942 to 1945, though it seems it was only manned by a skeleton crew at the time. As far as I know the place hasn't been used since. Both the fort and its annex have been put up for sale by the French government (if anyone's interested, it's a bit of a fixer-upper).
In the fourth picture, notice the slab of concrete covering the gun mounts on each end. In 1939, these two guns were supposed to be replaced with more modern 100 mm models. However, the production of the new guns was not finished until 1940, and they were only used twice before the Wehrmacht took over. They were eventually moved onto the French battleship Richelieu.
Overview
Part of the fort is buried into the side of the hill, so the open spaces inside the fort aren't paved. Over the years the place has been overgrown with weeds and bushes. The masonry is starting to crack, and yet the structure still seems solid. The only parts that collapsed are the ammunition sheds in the picture of the gun mounts. There is very little trash, but most of the walls have been graffitied.
General view of the fort
The (missing) drawbidge and the courtyard
The lookout
The gun mounts (also here in 4912x1080 resolution)
An ammunitions depot (?)
One of the four dormitories assigned to the soldiers
The officer's room is the only one with a chimney …
… And a sink
Loo with a view
The lookout and gun mounts in the annex
History
After losing the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the French government decided to upgrade its military facilities. The project included the construction of 160 coastal forts. This particular one was built in the late 1880s to guard one of the entrances to the Marseille harbor. It was originally equipped with 6x240 mm guns, with an additional 4x95 mm guns in the nearby annex. In the early 1920s, the Marseille airport was built, and this fort became part of its anti-aircraft defenses. The German Wehrmacht occupied the fort from 1942 to 1945, though it seems it was only manned by a skeleton crew at the time. As far as I know the place hasn't been used since. Both the fort and its annex have been put up for sale by the French government (if anyone's interested, it's a bit of a fixer-upper).
In the fourth picture, notice the slab of concrete covering the gun mounts on each end. In 1939, these two guns were supposed to be replaced with more modern 100 mm models. However, the production of the new guns was not finished until 1940, and they were only used twice before the Wehrmacht took over. They were eventually moved onto the French battleship Richelieu.
Overview
Part of the fort is buried into the side of the hill, so the open spaces inside the fort aren't paved. Over the years the place has been overgrown with weeds and bushes. The masonry is starting to crack, and yet the structure still seems solid. The only parts that collapsed are the ammunition sheds in the picture of the gun mounts. There is very little trash, but most of the walls have been graffitied.
General view of the fort
The (missing) drawbidge and the courtyard
The lookout
The gun mounts (also here in 4912x1080 resolution)
An ammunitions depot (?)
One of the four dormitories assigned to the soldiers
The officer's room is the only one with a chimney …
… And a sink
Loo with a view
The lookout and gun mounts in the annex
