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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The fortifications of Aix Island were built between the 17th and 19th centuries to strengthen the defence of the Rochefort arsenal, created in 1666. The first structures, consolidated between 1692 and 1712 under the direction of Vauban and engineer François Ferry, included a dungeon and two bastions. These works were partially destroyed during the Seven Years' War (1757), and then restored in the late eighteenth century by engineer Charles-François Mandar.

In 1778, a temporary wooden fort, designed by Montalembert and Choderlos de Laclos, was erected as an emergency after the English destruction, but was shaved in 1783 because of its fragility. Under Napoleon I (1810-1814), the fort of the Rad was rebuilt and modernized until 1837, adopting its present form. Additional works in the 19th century, such as the addition of stone shelters and then concrete (from 1890), further strengthened the system.

The island, integrated into the Rochefort defensive belt with the islands of Re and Oléron, houses forts, batteries (such as those of Jamblet and Tridoux) and walls. In 1880, bones of refractory priests from the Pontons de Rochefort were discovered there and then transferred to the church of Saint Martin. Fort Liédot was listed as a historical monument in 1995, followed by Fort La Rade and the town fortifications in 1996.

The fort of the Rade, initially a battery (1704) shaved in 1757, was rebuilt in the 19th century under Napoleon. Turned into a holiday village in the 1980s by architects Bernard Casnin and Christian Johanson, it now combines military heritage and tourist use, managed by the Pierre et Vacances group. Protected elements include casemates, guard bodies and drawbridge doors, reflecting the evolution of defensive techniques.

These fortifications illustrate the constant adaptation of military strategies, from Vauban's plans to Napoleonic innovations, to 19th century modernizations. Their classification in 1996 underscores their historical value, combining architectural heritage and memory of the conflicts that marked the region.

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