FortressLa Seyne-sur-Mer

Fort Balaguier

The Fortress can be visited

The Fort de Balaguier or Fort Balaguier is a military structure located in the commune of La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var, France). It was built in 1636 with the aim of protecting the Toulon roadstead from intrusions. Its construction was decided and undertaken after an inspection of the Provence coasts by Henri de Séguiran, first president of the Parliament of Provence and lieutenant of the Grand Master of Navigation, Cardinal Richelieu. The aim at the time was to counter the belligerent intentions of the House of Habsburg in the Mediterranean. At the same time, Richelieu had a series of defensive towers built on the coasts of Provence from Antibes (Grillon Tower) to the Embiez Island (Sainte-Cécile Tower), including the Hyères Islands.

History of the Fort+

Its creation, in the first half of the 17th century, corresponded to a strategic imperative: to prohibit access to the Toulon roadstead, which the Royal Tower alone could not guarantee. Indeed, the distance between the two structures, which controlled the entrance to the small Toulon roadstead, was 1,350 meters, while the maximum effective range of artillery was around one thousand meters. A few years later, in 1673, the fort's defenses were reviewed and improved by the naval engineer Gombert, on the eve of the war against Holland (addition of two open-air batteries). During his inspections of Toulon (1679, 1700 in particular), Vauban was critical of the structure, which he considered poorly protected against a surprise attack from land. He proposed a project to improve the tower and its enclosure, which was not carried out. In 1793, after the city of Toulon surrendered to the British, the fort was the scene of fierce fighting between the soldiers of the Republic, led by Bonaparte, and the British. The Fort de l'Éguillette, (on the other side of this small bay) also played a similar role in the liberation of Toulon from the English. The fort was remodeled in 1846. The battery was increased on the right wing, which was lengthened and equipped with a powerful earthen parapet. On this occasion, it was considered to demolish the tower to prevent the battery's servants from being injured by stone fragments in the event of a hit on the tower. This provision was fortunately not adopted. The Fort de Balaguier has been listed as a historical monument since March 17, 1975. It is assigned to the French Navy and is made available to the city of La Seyne-sur-Mer, which operates a maritime museum there (open every day except Tuesday).

In Culture+

In 1967, Robert Dhéry filmed a scene from the movie Le Petit Baigneur in the adjacent bay, including Louis de Funès alongside Michel Galabru (playing the bugle near a military boat).

Notes and References+