Fodor's Expert Review Château de Bazoches

The former home of Sébastien de Vauban is just outside Vézelay in the small town of Bazoches-du-Morvan. Built during the 12th century in the stolid form of a trapezium with four towers and a keep, it was bought by Vauban in 1675 with the money Louis XIV awarded him for devising the parallel trenches successfully used in the siege of Maastricht. He transformed Château de Bazoches into a fortress and created many of his military engineering designs here. Vauban is considered the "father of civil engineering," and his innovations influenced innumerable forts throughout France. His designs and furnishings of his day are on display.