Dungeons, towers, citadels and bastions in Charente-Maritime

Tour
17000 La Rochelle

The tower of La Lanterne, built in the 15th century in La Rochelle, is a vestige of medieval fortifications protecting the port, famous for its historic graffiti and its role as lighthouse and prison.

Fortification de Vauban
17480 Le Château-d'Oléron

The citadel of Château-d'Oléron, built between 1630 and 1704 on the island of Oléron (Charente-Maritime), is a military fortress designed by Richelieu and modernized by Vauban to defend the Atlantic coast.

Donjons
17800 Pons

The Pons dungeon, built in the 12th century, is an iconic Romanesque dungeon-palais of Saintonge, overlooking the Sugne valley in Pons (Charente-Maritime). Symbol of the city, it peaks at 33 meters.

17730 Port-des-Barques

Villa les Tourelles, a neo-Gothic castel-style building from the 4th quarter of the 19th century, stands in Port-des-Barques, New Aquitaine, with its brick facades and crenellated towers.

Bastion
17000 La Rochelle

The Bastion du Gabut is a 16th-century military work in La Rochelle, a vestige of medieval fortifications reinforced by an Italian engineer. Registered as historical monuments in 1990.

Tour
17000 La Rochelle

The Saint-Nicolas Tower, built in the 14th century in La Rochelle, is an iconic defensive tower of the Old Port, classified as a historic monument in 1879. A symbol of military resistance, it was used to control the city's maritime access.

Tour
17600 Saint-Sornin

The Tower of Broue is a 11th century Romanesque dungeon, vestige of a castle overlooking the former Gulf of Saintonge, located in Saint-Sornin in Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Fortification de Vauban
17410 Saint-Martin-de-Ré

The citadel of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, built at the end of the seventeenth century on the island of Ré, is a military masterpiece designed by Vauban to protect the region from invasions. Classified at UNESCO, it now houses a central house still in operation.