Dungeons, towers, citadels and bastions in Charente-Maritime

Fortification of 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.

Tower
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.

Tower
17250 Saint-Sulpice-d'Arnoult

The Isleau Tower, a 12th century feudal vestige in Saint-Sulpice-d'Arnoult, New Aquitaine, is a 17-metre square dungeon, an ancient military monument overlooking the surrounding marshes.

Tower
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.

Tower
17000 La Rochelle

The Tower of the Chain, built in the 14th century in La Rochelle, is an iconic fortified tower of the Old Port, classified as a historic monument in 1879. A symbol of medieval maritime defence, it controlled access to the port by means of a chain stretched towards the Saint-Nicolas Tower.

Tower
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.

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.

Donjons
17450 Fouras

The fort and the citadel of Fouras, built between the 15th and 17th centuries, dominate the mouth of the Charente in Charente-Maritime. This strategic site combines medieval donjon and maritime fortifications of Vauban, witness to conflicts for the control of the Atlantic coast.