Opening Hours

  • Fort national in St malo
National Fort reopens to visit on June 1st, 2023

The History of the Fort National
of St Malo

A Fort to Defend St Malo



Former Fort Royal, Fort National was built in 1689 by engineer Siméon Garengeau according to plans made by Vauban and under the orders of King Louis XIV, along the ramparts of St Malo which it defended.

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history of fort national in st malo

Chateaubriand and Surcouf



On the beach, at the foot of the Fort, when Chateaubriand (1768-1848) was a kid, he used to climb the breakwaters and to run into the waves with his friends. He explained in his memoir " Mémoires d’Outre-Tombe " that...

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The dark hours of World War II



On August 6th 1944, still occupied by the Germans, St Malo was bombed, in the early afternoon, and the arrow of the cathedral collapsed. The Commandant's Service send all healthy men...

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guided tour of fort national