Fort du Replaton
Perched at 1,210 m above Modane station, the Fort du Replaton was built between 1885 and 1891 (Séré de Rivières system) to watch the entrance of the Fréjus rail tunnel and block a possible Italian advance. Concreted from 1892 to 1894, armed with 20 guns in 1913, it stopped Italian troops in the Seuil valley in June 1940. Listed “20th-century heritage” in 2003, it now belongs to the Musée de la Traversée des Alpes. Visiting conditions: [[À COMPLÉTER PAR SAM]] (to be checked with the tourist office or the museum).
Other forts
The Haute Maurienne is a fortified border line: the Esseillon forts at Aussois (five 19th-century works, including the visitable Fort Victor-Emmanuel), Maginot Line works around Modane. The Musée de la Traversée des Alpes in Modane tells the story of the tunnel, the border and valley life.
Baroque in Maurienne
The valley’s baroque churches and chapels (Modane, Aussois, Bessans, Lanslebourg…) can be visited through the “Baroque en Maurienne” network: guided tours announced in the tourist office calendar.
Villages
Bessans and Bonneval-sur-Arc (listed among the most beautiful villages of France), Aussois, Lanslevillard: 30 to 60 minutes by car from Valfréjus, up the valley towards the Iseran.