Entrevaux — Vauban's Lost Plan

Your quest for the lost plan begins in front of Entrevaux's Porte Royale, the main entrance to the city. Built in 1690 under the direction of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, this gate was an integral part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur defensive system against Italian invasions, equipped with a drawbridge and portcullis. As an emissary, you examine the details of this structure, classified as a Historic Monument by decree of December 19, 1942, searching for the first clues that might reveal the location of the stolen document. Vauban's ingenuity is palpable from this first contact with the Vauban fortified city, one of France's Most Beautiful Detours.

Continuing your progress through the streets of Entrevaux's Corps de Garde, you walk alongside this 17th-century military building, adjacent to the Porte Royale. Built around 1690, simultaneously with Vauban's fortifications, it served as a guard post and features barrel vaults. This site, also classified as a Historic Monument in 1942, is an essential link in the rampart circuit. Here, you decipher hidden messages, imagining the sentinels guarding the city's security and the secrets they may have observed. Every stone of this building testifies to the military organization conceived by Vauban to protect Entrevaux.

Your route then takes you to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Entrevaux, a religious edifice built between 1691 and 1713. Its 33-meter-high bell tower-porch rises in the classical Provençal style, offering a perspective on the Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998. Inside, the historic organ, classified as a Historic Monument in 1977, holds a crucial piece of information. You study its pipes and woodwork, looking for symbols or engravings that could indicate the next step in your investigation into Vauban's lost plan.

You continue along the Remparts d'Entrevaux, fortifications designed by Vauban between 1690 and 1702, stretching approximately 2.5 km around the city. These walls, including 10 bastions and curtain walls adapted to the steep terrain of the Var, have been classified as Historic Monuments since December 19, 1942. Along the way, you reach the Porte de France, the second main gate of the city, built around 1690 to the east of the Porte Royale. You examine its machicolations and loopholes, defenses that provide clues about Vauban's strategies and bring you closer to the resolution of your mission in Entrevaux.

Your ascent concludes via the Chemin de la Citadelle, leading to the Citadelle d'Entrevaux, fortified by Vauban between 1690 and 1708. Perched at an altitude of 642 meters, this 4-hectare fortress housed a powder magazine, barracks for 1000 men, and a water cistern. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1942 and restored between 2010 and 2015, it is the culmination of your exploration of Entrevaux. It is here, in this impregnable bastion of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, that you assemble the final pieces of the puzzle, recovering the lost plan and completing your mission for the Sun King, leaving behind a history of strategy and secrets guarded by the stones.