Kommentierte Besichtigung des Fort Maginot de Sainte-Agnès

As if rising from the hillside to the south of the village, the military fort that was used to repel the Italians in June 1940 stands in the rock.
Suspended on a rocky outcrop on the Franco-Italian border, Sainte-Agnès has always been a highly coveted defensive post. In the 16th century, on the border between the domains of the Count of Provence and Genoa, the House of Savoy built a first fortification at Sainte-Agnès.
All along the border, several forts formed the famous Maginot Line, named after the Minister of War who had the first construction credits voted. The last bastion of the Maginot Line, Fort Sainte-Agnès, was the last bastion in the south: it made it possible to block the passage along the coast.
The construction of the structure on this rocky spur overlooking the bay of Menton lasted six years, from 1932 to 1938. Ironically, the fort was built by an Italian company, Spada, which still exists...
The Fort is an underground city dug under the village in the depths of the rock. The building is the equivalent of a four-storey building set into the hillside. It is buried under more than 55 metres of rock in a submarine-like configuration. In fact, the terminology of the Navy was used at the Fort of Sainte-Agnès: it was referred to as a crew rather than a garrison, and as a passageway rather than a corridor.
There are 2000 m2 of galleries and underground rooms with ultra-modern equipment for the time. Although the village of Sainte-Agnès did not have running water and a sewage system until 1960, the fort had these facilities since 1938. In addition, there was a power station supplying electricity, central heating, a telephone, regulated air and a combat gas neutralisation room. This barracks was very pleasant for the soldiers who were far from the same comfort in their homes. The fort could house 350 troops who could live there in complete self-sufficiency for three months.