Читать книгу Mountain Adventures in the Maurienne. Summer routes for a multi-activity holiday in the French Alps онлайн

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Because of its strategic transport importance, the region has had a strong military presence. The House of Savoy has its origins in Sardinia and in the early 19th century its lands stretched from Lac Léman to the Mediterranean. The Victor Emmanuel Fort complex near Modane is the most striking feature of their reign in the region. The forts were built to repel invasion and each is named for a prominent member of the House of Savoy. The frontier has changed repeatedly (the most obvious example of this is to be found on the slopes of Cime du Laro, Route 19).

One of the many war memorials recording the great losses suffered in the valley right through the war

During WWII the strategic importance of the valley was not lost to either side. The subterranean fort complex near Modane (part of an extended Maginot line built by the French during the military build-up in the 1930s) is a sober reminder of the conflict that came to this beautiful valley. The vicious weather conditions must have made the desperate battles for the high ground on Mont Froid, Pointe de Cugne and Petit Signal du Mont Cenis in April 1945 even more difficult. Footage in the museum at the Pyramide du Mont Cenis of the French soldiers receiving American rations in the snow shows just what the conditions must have been like.