Forte Pramand: a reinforced concrete fort above Pont Ventoux

Forte Pramand stands on the summit of Monte Pramand, overlooking Pont Ventoux in the municipality of Salbertrand. Built in 1905, it was the last fort constructed in the Bardonecchia basin. It was designed with a rectangular reinforced concrete building featuring a vaulted ceiling with mesh covering, a design similar to the forts of Paradiso and La Court at Moncenisio. The two-story structure included a gallery surrounding the lower floor, which housed technical rooms such as warehouses, rooms for generators and accumulators, and a fuel reserve.

The fort was designed to house 180 men. The ground floor contained kitchens, food storage, and three dormitories, while the upper floor featured a corridor and four gun positions. During the first world war, the cannons remained at the fort for potential use. These four 149/35 A. non-Montagna cannons were mounted in wells on the roof, protected by steel domes over 15 cm thick that allowed for 360-degree rotation to cover the Dora Valley and the Bardonecchia basin.

A powder magazine, located in a protected rear position, was connected to the fort by a 150-meter subterranean tunnel equipped with a railway for rapid ammunition transport. This magazine contained three underground rooms for balistite and black powder. Nearby, a semi-permanent position near the first bend of the road from Colletto Pramand could be armed with four additional cannons. The fort's observatory was highly camouflaged with rocks and vegetation, accessible via a path partially excavated in a trench.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons