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Origin and history

Fort Risban, located at the entrance of the port of Calais on Avenue Raymond Poincaré, finds its origins at the siege of the city by Edward III in 1346. The British troops, unable to penetrate the defences, built a small wooden fort to block maritime supplies and starve the population. Under English rule, this structure was replaced after 1400 by a stone tower, the Stone Tower (or Lancaster Tower), marking the beginning of its strategic role in the region.

The fort remained in the hands of the English until 1558, the date of the French reconquest by the Duke of Croÿ. In 1596, he was briefly captured by the Spanish Netherlands before being returned to France in 1598 via the Treaty of Vervins. Reconstructed in 1640, it was criticized by Vauban in the 1680s as an ineffective fortification, calling it "home for owls". In the 19th century, the Corps of Engineers changed it again, before its partial dismantling in 1908 and its reuse as an anti-aircraft shelter during the Second World War.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1990, Fort Risban embodies Franco-English conflicts and military adaptations over centuries. Its location at the mouth of the port made it a key point for the control of maritime access, while its transformations reflect the evolution of defensive techniques, from the medieval tower to the modern fortress. Today owned by the commune of Calais, it bears witness to the turbulent history of this port city.

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