Bard Fortress

An impregnable place in the past, now open to innovative, cultural services

When is it open: see the "for further information" section at the bottom of the page

What's not to be missed: the troupes courtyard and surrounding panorama

Where is it: The Municipality of Bard

Why?...Because it's worth it: an impregnable nineteenth-century fortress

The Fortress and District of Bard complex has become the new cultural reference point in the eastern Alps. Thanks to the renovation of this impressive, Savoy fortress and some areas alongside, a project was developed to design a unique structure which would offer innovative cultural services and, in the future, accommodation facilities. Already during Theodoric's reign (VI century A.D), Bard was a garrison used to defend the "Clausuræ Augustanæ" (a defense system on the borders of the Empire). In 1034, it was described as "inexpugnabile oppidum", in one of the oldest references to a castle in Valle d'Aosta.

The Savoys became the Lords of Bard in 1242. In 1661, the armies coming from other Valdostane fortresses, including Verrès and Montjovet, were concentrated in Bard. The castle was once again the protagonist on Napoleon Bonaparte's arrival in May 1800. The defensive structures of the fort were so efficient that Napoleon's army took around two weeks to overcome the Austrian defences, with success achieved only through shrewdness. The fortress was then dismantled, to avoid further danger. What we see today is the

reproduced building which took place under Charles Felice who, starting in 1830, turned it into a military mass. The fortress began to deteriorate at the end of the nineteenth century. It was decommissioned in 1975 from military state property and was purchased by the Region of Valle d'Aosta in 1990. The fortress, which reopened after long renovation work, hosts the Alps Museum and temporary exhibitions.