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Stores with powder of Vauban

Briançon
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Descriptif détaillé

The defence of the town of Briançon at the end of the 17th and 19th centuries required the construction of gunpowder magazines. Intended to store gunpowder, they were designed to protect this particularly vulnerable material from enemy fire and humidity. Powder magazines (powder magazines being the name given to gunpowder factories) were established on the most sheltered fronts. Their architecture is governed by a standard plan, varying according to the capacity required.
Vauban-type powder magazines are rectangular buildings with very thick walls (over 1.20 m). A gable roof covered with slates ensures that they are watertight. A barrel vault with buttresses and an earth and stone slab armouring protect the powder room. A floor insulates the 50 kg barrels in which the powder is stored. Two ventilation systems are necessary to avoid humidity: a crawl space under the floor, communicating with large openings, and vents in the walls allowing outside air, but ingeniously dug into the walls to prevent projectiles from entering. The nails, hinges and locks are made of bronze to avoid any sparks that could trigger the explosion. Two windows with shutters provide light. There is no system for night lighting as no flames can enter the warehouse. A guard monitors the comings and goings and the compliance with the instructions, in particular the obligation to put on wooden clogs.
Two Vauban-type powder magazines were built in the town. The powder magazine C was built between 1692 and 1700 in the castle and is very well preserved. It has been restored by the Old Manor Club and is open to visitors. Designed to hold 65,400 kg of powder on two levels (divided by an intermediate floor), it is 22.5 m long and 14 m wide. The powder magazine D, known as the arsenal or city magazine, built between 1692 and 1700, with a capacity of 49500 kg, with a broken barrel vault, is located above the Town Hall. It is not open to the public. Its access was modified when the street was created. The evolution of artillery in the 19th century led to a modification of the standard plans. The Vauban-type shops did not withstand the assaults. Two solutions were envisaged: to reorganise the existing magazines by covering them with earth armour (as in Mont-Dauphin) or to create new, more solid ones. Half-cavern or cavernous powder magazines (dug into the rock) therefore appeared. Insulation was provided by a brick facing. Copper boxes replaced the wooden barrels. Lighting can be installed: three openings fitted with glass and mirrors allow lanterns to be placed.
Two powder magazines were dug into the escarpments of the castle with access via the parapet walk: the T powder magazine (1874/1879) and the U powder magazine (1879/1881). One of the powder magazines houses the Mine Museum.
The 18th century gunpowder magazine is the property of the town of Briançon and is part of the fortified complex of Briançon listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a Vauban fortification.

    Services
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    Code postal
    05100
    Commune
    Briançon
      Géolocalisation