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Origin and history

The forts of the Hougue and Tatihou, located in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in the Channel, Normandy, constitute a 17th century defensive military ensemble. This major site in Vauban, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, was designed to deny access to the Bay of Saint Vaast thanks to the cross-fire of their guns. The two towers, 3 km apart, were built after the Battle of the Hougue (1692), a French defeat against the Anglo-Holland, to secure this strategic point often used as a landing place by the kings of England since the 15th century.

Louis XI had already considered building fortifications there, but it was Vauban's plans, drawn up during his inspection in 1686, that made the project a reality. The works, led by engineer Benjamin de Combes, began in 1693 for the tower of Tathou and ended in 1699. The towers, equipped with artillery platforms, tanks and shops, quickly lost their military utility and were reassigned to warehouses. Their architecture includes thick walls, murderers, and drawbridges, reflecting the defensive techniques of the era.

The fort of the Hougue, connected to the earth by a dike, consists of a strong front of 200 m, a tower of 20 m high, and batteries equipped with cannons of 16 and 22 cm in the 19th century. The tower of Tatihou, 21 m high, could accommodate ten cannons. During the Wars of Religion, she was briefly taken by François de La Court in 1595 to avenge her father. The two sites, protected as historical monuments, bear witness to the evolution of coastal defensive strategies, from German developments during the Second World War to 19th century modernizations.

Ranked and listed as historical monuments between 1929 and 2015, the forts also illustrate the adaptation of military infrastructure to changing needs, moving from defence against the English to logistical uses. Their present preservation, combined with a tourist appreciation, highlights their role in Norman maritime history and the legacy of Vauban, an emblematic military engineer of the reign of Louis XIV.

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