Two of Antibes’ best known attractions owe their existence to Marshall Vauban (1633-1707), one of the most important men in military history. A soldier’s soldier, humanitarian, social thinker, and engineer extraordinaire, he joined the army in his mid-twenties, rose swiftly, and became Maréchal de France in 1703. He devised a star-shaped fortress with moats, and without “blind spots” where attackers could hide, a style that was copied by military architects everywhere for two centuries. He built 33 forts and fortified towns in both the North and South, modernized weaponry and tactics, and personally directed 53 sieges during that era of protracted warfare. Of significance to Antibes were the upgrading and extension of its fortifications, construction of the breakwater, improvements which made the existing fort virtually impregnable, and the creation of the military and comme
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