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Origin and history

Fort du Grand Langoustier is a military structure built between 1633 and 1637 on the island of Porquerolles, near Hyères (Var), under the impulse of Cardinal de Richelieu. This coastal fort, designed to defend the harbour against maritime invasions, consists of a square tower with two vaulted levels, topped by a crenelated terrace. Its architecture combines a polygonal enclosure and cannon platforms, added in 1793 during the English occupation of the island.

In 1810, under Napoleon I, a corridor of direct access to the powder shop was drilled to strengthen its logistics, while the armament — two guns of 36 and two of 12 — was deemed insufficient. The battery next to the Advanced is then created, with identical parts. After 1815, the fort was gradually disarmed: in 1841 the Commission d'Armement des Côtes proposed new equipment (two guns and two shells), but it was decommissioned in 1874 to benefit modern works by Giens.

Abandoned in 1875, the fort was saved in 1989 by the Protee association and restored between 2006 and 2010 under the aegis of the Conservatoire du littoral and Port-Cros National Park. Today protected and exceptionally open during Heritage Days, it reflects the evolution of coastal defensive strategies from the 17th to the 19th century. Its shale and quartz architecture, as well as its position overlooking Port Fay, make it an emblematic site of Provencal military heritage.

The recent restoration has helped to stabilize structures and highlight historical developments, such as the ramp defending entry or shooting slots. The fort also illustrates the successive adaptations of its armament, from the smooth cannons of the seventeenth century to the striped pieces of the nineteenth century, before its obsolescence in front of the terrestrial fortifications of the late nineteenth century.

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