Fort Boyard, Brouage and the Hermione

We present on this page interesting visits to be made near the island of Oleron.

Fort Boyard

Created at the request of Napoleon, Fort Boyard is named after the sandbar on which it is built. The fort is part of the municipality of Aix Island.

When its construction was decided, his artillery was supposed to protect the city of Rochefort and his arsenal against an attack by an enemy fleet.

The construction of the fort lasted almost 70 years, from 1802 to 1870. At the completion of Fort Boyard, the progress of the artillery had rendered it useless. It was converted in a prison in 1872.

From 1913 to 1988, Fort Boyard remained disused. It was rehabilitated to serve as a framework for the game that bears his name.

Sea trip around Fort Boyard

The fort is owned by the "Conseil Général" of Charente-Maritime. As its access is prohibited to the public, it can not be visited.

However, it is possible to tour around Fort Boyard by boat.

The TV game

Thanks to the TV game, Fort Boyard is famous worldwide. More than twenty countries have recorded a variant of the French game.

The architecture of the fort is enhanced by the game. It is in the observation tower that "Père Fouras" expects candidates to ask them formidable enigmas.

Brouage

Brouage was once a salt port located on the ocean. In the seventeenth century, the construction of the citadel at the instigation of Richelieu transformed it into a military port.

Nowadays, the citadel of Brouage is surrounded by marshes. You can walk on the ramparts and visit the church and military buildings. The tourist office offers guided tours.

Samuel Champlain, founder of Quebec City, was born in Brouage. The citadel is located seven miles from the bridge of Oleron.

The Hermione

In march 1780, the Marquis de La Fayette started a journey on the Hermione towards America. This three-masted frigate of 65 meters was built in the arsenal of Rochefort.

Since 1992, the Association Hermione-La Fayette has been working on the reconstruction of the Hermione. The Hermione was launched in July 2012 and the frigate has been transfered to a wet dock to complete its construction.

The Hermione remakes the journey of La Fayette to Boston in 2015. It leaves Aix island the 18th of April, and will be back in Rochefort by the end of August.

Rochefort, where the Hermione was rebuilt, is twenty-eight kilometers from the bridge of Oleron.

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