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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur
  4. Var
  5. 83200 Toulon

  6. Tour Beaumont, located Colline du Mont-Faron, present Memorial of the landing in Provence

Tour Beaumont, located Colline du Mont-Faron, present Memorial of the landing in Provence à Toulon dans le Var

Var

Tour Beaumont, located Colline du Mont-Faron, present Memorial of the landing in Provence

    8458 Route du Faron
    83200 Toulon
Tour Beaumont, située Colline du Mont-Faron, actuel Mémorial du débarquement en Provence
Tour Beaumont, située Colline du Mont-Faron, actuel Mémorial du débarquement en Provence
Tour Beaumont, située Colline du Mont-Faron, actuel Mémorial du débarquement en Provence
Tour Beaumont, située Colline du Mont-Faron, actuel Mémorial du débarquement en Provence
Tour Beaumont, située Colline du Mont-Faron, actuel Mémorial du débarquement en Provence

Timeline

Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1843-1845
Construction of the tower
1875
Adding battery
1944
Release of Toulon
1963-1964
Creation of the Memorial
24 février 2014
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Completely the tower (excluding contemporary additions to the Memorial), including the ditch and the drawbridge with its access ramp on both sides (Box EX 137): by order of 24 February 2014

Key figures

Capitaine Noël - Manufacturer of the tower Directed the work between 1843-1845.
Lieutenant-colonel Boulangé - Chief Engineer in 1875 Proposed the extension of the battery.
Général de Gaulle - Initiator of the Memorial The project was launched in 1963.
Pierre Pascalet - Architect of the Memorial Supervised the conversion in 1964.

Origin and history

The Beaumont Tower is a military building built in the mid-19th century on Mount Faron, which dominates Toulon. It was erected between 1843 and 1845 by Captain Noël, according to a horse-drawn iron plan inspired by the tower of the Croix-Faron. His initial role was defensive, with five casemates and a battery added in 1875.

The tower, decommissioned after World War I, was rehabilitated after 1945 as a memorial to the liberation of Toulon. In 1963, it became the Memorial of the Disembarkation of Provence, inaugurated in 1964 with contemporary developments. Its architecture combines a rocky base, a ditch and a drawbridge, typical of 19th century fortifications.

The Beaumont Tower is part of a network of fortifications on Mount Faron, designed between 1836 and 1844 to strengthen Toulon's defence. It was the only tour of this type carried out among several proposed projects. Its store and battery, partially preserved, testify to its military evolution until its memorial conversion.

Ranked a historic monument in 2014, the tower (excluding the Memorial additions) includes the ditch and the drawbridge. Its access was facilitated by the Faron cable car in 1959, before its transformation into a memorial under the impulse of General de Gaulle. The architect Pierre Pascalet supervised this conversion, integrating spaces dedicated to the history of the Allied landing.

The remains of the 1875 battery, located to the north, are now partially masked by the 1964 developments. The tower, 10 meters high, has a crenelated platform and mâchicoulis, characteristic of the military buildings of the period. His horseshoe plan, with a central courtyard, reflects the defensive innovations of the 19th century.

The Beaumont Tower illustrates the adaptation of the Toulouse fortifications from a strategic role to a commemorative function. Its inscription in historical monuments underlines its heritage importance, both for its architecture and for its connection to contemporary history.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum