Fortress of Gourdon, Medieval fortress in Gourdon, France.

The Fortress of Gourdon is a troglodyte construction on the north-east slope of the Cavillore plateau, in the commune of Gourdon, Alpes-Maritimes. Its only standing element is a gate of bossed stonework set into the cliff, with a small square opening above and a rectangular opening below; beyond it the ledge widens and ends after about a hundred metres at a sloping dead end, where the remains of a stone vault suggest a bread oven.

During the Middle Ages, this fortification served as a strategic defensive position and offered the local population shelter during regional conflicts. Its position on the plateau made it an important outpost for monitoring and resistance.

The only standing structure is the fortified gate, built of bossed stone blocks set into the cliff. Beyond it the ledge widens and runs about a hundred metres to a sloping dead end, where the remains of a stone vault mark what is described as a bread oven. Edmond Mari described the gate in Les bâtisseurs de l'impossible.

Reach the fortress from a wide, grassy path that begins on the Cavillore plateau and descends gently along a ledge toward the Loup gorges. The path narrows to about 30 cm above a 300 m drop, then continues 2–3 m past this point to the fortified gate. Avoid the site in bad weather or after rain, when the stones are very slippery.

Beyond the fortified gate the ledge widens again, then ends after about a hundred metres at a sloping dead end. The only other structure left is the stone vault of an oven, which suggests a bread oven. The site is very dangerous and the stones are slippery after rain.