Slot Zuylen (Zuylen Castle) was originally built in the 13th century by lord van Suilen en Anholt as a simple donjon (tower). In 1422 during the Hook and Cod wars the castle was completely demolished. In 1510 rebuilding started. In 1752 the castle was modified nto a country mansion. It holds a tapestry by the Delft carpet weaver Maximiliaan van der Gught. Its past inhabitants include Steven van der Hagen and Belle van Zuylen. Slot Zuylen opened its doors to visitors 60 years ago and has meanwhile acquired museum status.
References:The historical centre of Briançon is a strongly fortified town, built by Vauban to defend the region from Austrians in the 17th century. Its streets are very steep and narrow, though picturesque. Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the Col de Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, so a great number of other fortifications have been constructed on the surrounding heights, especially towards the east.
The Savoyards made two raids into French territory in 1691 and 1692. As a result, Vauban was dispatched to inspect the frontier defences, which had been ill-equiped to deal with the attack from Savoy. He returned to the area in 1700 to check on the progress that had been made since his first visit. When Vauban visited Briançon, work on the defences had already started under a local engineer, Monsieur d"Angrogne in 1692.