About the Fortress of Bard
The Fortress of Bard hosts us with all its magnificence!
The Fortress comprises many buildings and is nowadays the main cultural site of the Aosta Valley, hosting museums and exhibitions.
The Fortress of Bard consists of three main buildings positioned at different levels: starting from the top the Carlo Alberto Opera where are situated the Museum of the Alps, the temporary exhibitions and the Prisons; the Vittorio Opera where is situated the Children’s Alps and the Ferdinando Opera where are situated the Museum of Fortifications and the Museum of Frontiers.
At the foot of the fortress there is the medieval village of Bard, a typical transit village hat trails along the Roman road to Gaul. The village is really like a book of History, a fascinating place that in Medieval age was crossed by caravans, businessmen, soldiers or pilgrims. All the noteworthy residences have Medieval origins, recognizable by heraldic emblems and crossed windows.
The history of the Fortress of Bard
The old castle, mentioned for the first time in 1034, was completely destroyed at beginning of 19th century. We know that it was property of the powerful Lords of Bard until 1242 when it became property of the Savoy family. The castle was never involved in a military attack until May 1800, when it stopped the advancing Napoleon’s army. His 40.000 soldiers were halted here for many days by a little garrison, and only using shrewdness the French army could overtake it, but Napoleon didn’t accept the failure and ordered the complete destruction of the castle.
The current fortress was built during the 19th century when Carlo Felice of Savoy decided to have the Fort rebuilt, entrusting the project to the military engineer Francesco Antonio Olivero, who built the majestic fortress in only eight years (1830-1838). At the end of the 19th century, the fort began to decline; it was used as a penitentiary and later to store munitions.
Expropriated from the military property in 1975, the Fort was taken over by the regional authorities in 1990 and then fully restored. During nineties an interdisciplinary group of experts carried out a feasibility study for the restoration of the entire fortress compound and the revival of the medieval village of Bard. Thanks to the financial contributions from the European Regional Development Fund and the State Rotational Fund, for the regeneration of areas in industrial decline, helped realize the project.
During its long history the fortress knew a lot of important personalities as Napoleon Bonaparte, the young writer Stendhal and Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, first Prime Minister of Italy!
Today the village of Bard hosts important events such as Marché au Fort, Napoleonica and Bard Christmas Market.
Guided tour of the Fortress of Bard
During the guided tour of the Fortress of Bard we will discover all the different fortifications and the fascinating medieval village of Bard!
The itinerary is accessible to visitors with disabilities thanks to the panoramic lifts.
