European project "Resilient Fortress"

As part of a programme funded by Erasmus+, several European organisations, including the Centre des monuments nationaux, have decided to share their experiences on the resilience of fortifications in the face of climate change through the ‘Resilient Fortress’ programme.

Over a period of several months (September 2024 to May 2025), heritage professionals from various backgrounds will share their knowledge and seek solutions to the challenges they face in the conservation, maintenance and restoration of fortifications, both on site and remotely.

This programme was organised by the Governing Body of Suomenlinna (Finland), with the participation of the Centre des monuments nationaux (Isabelle Fouilloy-Jullien, administrator of the Mont-Dauphin site & Laurent Alberti, state architect - urban planner and curator of national monuments at the CMN), the fortifications of Naarden managed by Stichting Monumentenbezit (Netherlands), the EFFORTS network (European Federation of Fortified Sites), as well as representatives of private organisations such as the Philippe Prost Architecture Studio (France) and Studio Architettura Meneghelli (Italy). Other organisations were also able to participate in the presentations and visits over the course of various on-site sessions..

Project stages

The first stage of the project took place in September 2024 with study session in Finland, at Suomenlinna, an maritime fortress consisting of several islands off the coast of Helsinki. Organised by the Governing Body of Suomenlinna, this ‘summer school’ gave each organisation the opportunity to present the challenges they are currently facing in pratical terms, but also to assess their on-site impacts, such as soil erosion during thaw periods, the impact of rain on the fortifications, etc.

The second session was held in France, first in Antibes with a presentation of the Port Vauban renovation project by the Philippe Prost Architecture Studio, then in the fortified village of Mont-Dauphin in the Alps, where the fortifications and some buildings are managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux. The stronghold is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Vauban fortifications. A variety of key challenges were discussed, including taking wildlife into account in the ramparts during restoration work, managing work at height, and the impact of salinity on mortar, to name but a few.

The last on-site session gave participants the opportunity to discover the site of Naarden, a fortified town with walls and moats and well-preserved star-shaped bastions located near Amsterdam. The group attended a presentation on the restoration work carried out by Stichting Monumentenbezit teams, followed by a visit to a brick factory and a working session on drafting a set of guidelines.

Core learnings

Over the course of there collaborative sessions from September 2024 to May 2025, it became clear that each site has its own challenges. Presenting these challenges to European colleagues, exchanging ideas and learning from others' experiences highlighted the value of the work carried out with fortified heritage.

Excerpts:

"We also noticed that we are lucky, because most of us can do testing and monitoring, and have the possibility to analyze our own doings. which is a necessity if we want to approve. We also have the chance to work with a continuity – understanding that time is an essential element in heritage maintenance. 

Besides the differences, the basic issues we deal with are the same [...]

For all of us, a responsible approach to a resilient fortress requires knowledge on:
legislation, construction history and building materials, vegetation, living species on both mineral architecture and vegetal architecture including soil and water, documentation of works is of major importance for both correcting unsuccessful interventions, and for repeating successful interventions."

To discover Suomenlinna site in Finland  (FR / EN)

> Click here to see the video on Youtube