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Origin and history

The Pointe-d'Arzic is part of a fortified complex located in Locmaria, on the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer, Brittany. Built in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century (1858–62), it includes a low battery with a defensive guard body (1859–61), an 18th-century masonry cut-off, and an added semaphore around 1861–62. This site illustrates the adaptation of standard military models (such as guard corps 3 of 1846) to extreme geographical constraints, here by derocking the cliff. General Noizet, Inspector General of Engineering, played a key role in 1848 in imposing this technical solution despite its cost.

The history of the site dates back to the 18th century, with a first battery mentioned in 1705, rebuilt after 1763 and during the American War. Armée de cannons de 24 livres en 1747, it was modernized in 1803 (two 24 pound guns and one mortar) and in 1841, with three heavy artillery pieces. The bass battery, decommissioned in 1874, became a private residence after serving as German barracks during the Second World War. The semaphore, used as an observation post in 1918 and 1939–45, is now also a private property.

The reduced point of the Arzic Pointe is distinguished by its integration into the rock, a rarity in Brittany. Its guard corps, modified in housing, and the German tobrouks (light concrete posts) around the semaphore testify to successive military reuses. Ranked Historic Monument in 2000, the site preserves remains of the 18th and 19th centuries, although some elements (such as the parapet of the 1859 battery) have disappeared. The accuracy of its location remains poor (level 5/10), reflecting the challenges of mapping steep coastal sites.

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