Dungeons, towers, citadels and bastions in Charente-Maritime

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.

Fortification of 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.

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.

Tower
17610 Saint-Sauvant

The tower of Saint-Sauvant, a medieval square Romanesque vestige, overlooks the village of Saint-Sauvant in Charente-Maritime, near an ancient Gallo-Roman road.

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.