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Origin and history

Fort Louvois, also called fort du Chapus, is a maritime fortification built on a rock facing the citadel of Château-d'Oléron, in the Charente archipelago. Commanded by Louis XIV as part of a network of coastal defences, he was to lock south access to the Rochefort arsenal. Its construction began in 1691 under the direction of the Marquis de Louvois, Minister of War, and was taken over by Vauban after his death, reducing the original project to a form of horse iron.

The fort consists of a 24-metre crenellated dungeon surrounded by submersible moat at high tide and connected to the continent by a 400-metre carriageway. It housed barracks, a powder box, a weapons room and a water tank. Armed with cannons and then shellers, he retained a garrison until the 19th century. Ranked a historic monument in 1929, it was bombed in 1944, restored in the 1960s, and has been home to the Oyster Museum since 1972.

Its unique structure, with drawbridge and scalables, makes it a remarkable example of 17th century military architecture. The fort suffered damage during the storms of 1999 and 2010 (Xynthia), but remains a major tourist site, attracting more than 26,000 visitors in 2010. He is also known to appear in the credits of the TV game Fort Boyard.

The works, led by Royal Engineer François Ferry, mobilized workers day and night to enjoy the low tides. The foundations were completed in October 1691, and the fort was completed in 1694. In the 18th century, it was modernized to adapt to the progress of armaments, notably reducing the number of flares from 16 to 10.

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