Fort du Cognelot, Military fort in Chalindrey, France.

Fort du Cognelot is a military stronghold near Chalindrey with walls laid out in an irregular hexagonal pattern. A central citadel sits at its heart, protected by angled bastions designed for defensive firepower from multiple directions.

The fort was built between 1874 and 1877 in the years following the Franco-Prussian War as France rebuilt its military defenses. Its location and design reflected new strategic thinking about protecting the eastern border.

The fort's entrance panel still reads "FORT DE COGNELOT" alongside the dates 1817, 1887 and 1889, although the fort was built from 1874 to 1877. The 1887 date recalls the decree by War Minister Georges Boulanger renaming it Fort Vercingétorix, a name engraved on the fronton and kept after the decree was revoked that same year.

The fort stands at the top of the Cognelot mountain, 470 m above sea level, 2.7 km west of the Culmont-Chalindrey railway station. Access is on foot from the surrounding paths; the entrance is reached over a wooden plank bridge with blue metal railings. Visits and upkeep are run by a preservation association founded in January 2002, so check opening arrangements before setting out.

The entrance tunnel is flanked by small chambers, one of which holds a drinking-water well. Behind them, two powder magazines with four lamp niches each were meant to store 100 and 80.6 tonnes of black powder.