Initial construction Fin du XVIIe siècle (≈ 1795)
Defensive arrangements wanted by Vauban.
1942-1943
German reuse
German reuse 1942-1943 (≈ 1943)
Integration into the Atlantic Wall.
31 janvier 2017
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 31 janvier 2017 (≈ 2017)
Protection of elevations and casemates.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The battery of Port-Blanc, including elevations, guard corps, German casemates and the ground of the plate plot (ZD 2) as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 31 January 2017
Key figures
Vauban - Military engineer
Inspiration of defensive arrangements.
Origin and history
The Port Blanc battery is a strategic military structure located in the municipality of Sauzon, Belle-Île-en-Mer. Built in the late seventeenth century, it is one of the first reasoned defensive developments on the island, designed under the influence of Vauban. It consists of a semi-circular parapet and a guard body, built on old cuts. Its role was to protect the port and the village of Sauzon, in addition to the battery of Cardinal's point in the west.
Abandoned under the Second Empire, the battery at Port-Blanc experienced a second use during the Second World War. Between 1942 and 1943, it was integrated into the German system of the "Atlantic Wall", marking its continuing strategic importance throughout the centuries. Today, it includes elements of the seventeenth, eighteenth centuries as well as German casemates of the twentieth century.
The battery has been classified as a Historic Monument since 2017, including elevations, guard corps, German casemates and the ground of the plate plot. It is currently owned by a private company. Its location, although known, is estimated with poor accuracy (note 5/10), based on available data.
