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Origin and history

The urban enclosure of the Palace, also known as the ramparts of the Palace, is a fortification built in the 19th century to protect the city of Le Palais, on the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer (Morbihan). It complements the existing citadel by occupying the dominant heights to the south and west, an idea originally proposed by military engineer Vauban in 1683. This project aimed to force an enemy to deploy major forces to besiege the city, a strategy validated during the siege of 1761, where the rise of the heights led to the fall of the citadel.

The work began in 1802 under the direction of the Inspector General of Engineer Marescot, first by sappers, then by prisoners of the neighbouring bagne. Originally conceived as a camp cut off with strong detachments, the project evolved to a continuous enclosure after 1815, incorporating terrassed glasses built under the First Empire. Bastions 19, 20 and 21 with casemathed barracks replaced old dreads of 1761. The construction lasted until 1877, with interruptions due to changes in political regimes (the fall of the First Empire, the Second Empire).

The enclosure extends for one kilometre between the cliffs of the harbour and the back harbour, following a neoclassical route. It consists of four bastioned fronts, a ditch, a gallery of crenelated counterscarp, a covered road with reduced, and a glacis. Three main doors (Bangor, Vauban, Locmaria) and two poternes provide connections with the outside. The Beausoleil building, added to the north, closes the backdoor space. The ditches and ices, now wooded, inherit the 19th century military plantations.

The enclosure was armed until the late 19th century, despite the appearance of striped artillery in the 1860s. Around 1890, his armament consisted of 8 cannons of 138 mm, 12 of 120 mm, and 6 mortars of 22 cm, supplemented by light pieces. Developments (platforms, powder shops) bear witness to this prolonged defensive vocation. Ranked a historic monument in 2004, it illustrates the evolution of the fortifications from Vauban to Napoleon III, integrating rare elements of the First Empire.

Several official protections were granted: partial classification as a natural site in 1933 and 1985 for its picturesque and historical character, registration and classification as historical monuments in 2000 and 2004. These recognitions highlight its heritage value, both architectural, landscape and memorial, in an island context marked by its military and strategic history.

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