They stand watch along the French coast like guardians of the seas from an ancient time. Like the castles that punctuate the territory, the naval forts are the clearly visible vestiges of a time when France had to protect itself from foreign invasions...
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the great naval powers such as the Netherlands and England were equipping themselves with ever more powerful warships and the oceans were veritable battlefields, France had to defend its coasts.
For nearly two centuries, architects and military engineers, serving the greatest French rulers, had to show incredible ingenuity in order to meet an immense challenge: building stone colossi, capable of withstanding the enemy guns and challenging the elements, in the open sea.
How did they do it? What technical feats did they accomplish? How have these giants of the seas managed to last though the centuries and into the present day?
Accompanied by specialists, engineers and historians, and thanks to completely new 3D models, we will discover the secrets of these maritime citadels, true gems of the architectural heritage of France.