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Key figures

Origin and history

The fort of Bertheaume is located on a rocky island of Plougonvelin, in the Finistère, now connected to the land by a footbridge. Its name, of Breton origin Aber C'homm, means "the valley bay". The site, occupied from the Mesolithic (silex found) and Bronze Age (tombo), was a strategic monitoring point of the Brest gully. In the 15th century he was named Karreg Poncelin in tribute to Guyomarc Pontcellin, a captain killed in 1472 by repelling the English.

The first official mention of the strong dates back to 1474, but it was destroyed in 1558. Vauban rearranged it in 1689 by installing a battery to counter English landings, proving its effectiveness during the Battle of Camaret in 1694. Until 1835, the island was accessible only by basket. Barracks, the enclosure wall and powder shops (including a 13-metre underground) date from the 18th century, while casemates were added between 1880 and 1890.

During World War II, the fort was occupied by the Germans and became a pocket of tenacious resistance during the Liberation. After 1945, the site, owned by the Ministry of Defence, was abandoned for 45 years. Purchased by the commune of Plougonvelin in 1990, it was rehabilitated: archaeological excavations, reconstruction of the bridge (damaged by storms), and creation of a green theatre for historical performances. Since 2005, Tyroleans and a via ferrata route have been offered, and the Visions festival has been held annually since 2016.

Several shipwrecks took place near Bertheaume during the war, including those of the Vauquois vaviso (1940) and German ships such as the Leipzig Vorpostenboot (1944). Allied aircraft also crashed in 1943-44. The site also inspires culture, as in the comic book L-Epervier (1997) or the book Bertheaume Sentinelle de la rade de Brest (2016).

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