Fort Griffon, Military fort in Besançon, France

Fort Griffon is a fortification on elevated terrain in Besançon with three bastions and parallel barracks. Stone walls form its structure, arranged around a central courtyard that organizes the various buildings.

The fort is named after a bastion built in 1595 by Italian engineer Giovanni Griffoni. Vauban had the old Battant wall razed and the redoubt built from 1680 to 1684 under engineer Montille, opposite the citadel. From 1788 it served as a state prison with cells and a guillotine, remaining military until 1945. The Doubs department bought it in 1946 for the École Normale d'Institutrices; it was listed as a monument historique in 1942 and inscribed by UNESCO in 2008.

The fort's name comes from the earlier bastion built in 1595 by Italian engineer Giovanni Griffoni. In 1946 the Doubs department bought the site and installed the École Normale d'Institutrices; architect Tournier kept the 17th-century stone buildings. From 1991 the IUFM, which became the École supérieure du professorat et de l'éducation in 2013, occupied it before moving out entirely.

You can walk through the fort and explore the preserved structures while wandering through pedestrian tunnels surrounded by gardens and green spaces. The relatively level grounds inside make navigation straightforward, though reaching the elevated location requires some effort.

The fort served dual purposes: defending Besançon from external threats while also controlling potential uprisings within the city itself. This double function was typical of military fortifications in strategically important cities during that period.