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Fort Boyard to open to public for first time
Atlantic Coast fort will open in 2028 after restoration funded by donations and the French Heritage Lotto
Published
Fort Boyard, the iconic sea fortress off France’s Atlantic coast, will open to the public for the first time in 2028 following extensive restoration work.
The unique Charente-Maritime landmark, built in the 1800s on a man-made stone foundation sitting on a submerged sandbank between the islands of Aix, Ré and Oléron, is among 18 priority sites selected for Loto du Patrimoine (Heritage Lotto) support, with funding amounts to be announced this autumn.
Damage caused by storms and waves means restoration works are required to repair elements such as the embankment surrounding the fort, and its historic landing harbour. “By taking action to preserve Fort Boyard we are making a historic gesture for the next 100 years, both for the people of Charente-Maritime and for our visitors who are so fond of this edifice,” said Sylvie Marcilly, president of the Charente-Maritime department.
Fort Boyard grew in popularity after becoming the backdrop for a television gameshow of the same name, broadcast since 1990. The initiative to save the fort was launched in 2024, with the department appealing for support from those both in France and abroad. Since then, some 8,000 people have donated via the Fondation du Patrimoine website, raising over €650,000 at the time of writing. The project is set to be completed and open to the public in 2028.
Loto du Patrimoine, headed by historian Stéphane Bern, stems from the Fondation du Patrimoine, a non-profit organisation aiming to safeguard and promote local French heritage. Profits generated from lottery ticket sales are donated to support the restoration projects. Mr Bern said he got the idea from the National Trust Lottery, with the initiative having selected 1,080 French sites and raised €383million in eight years. Over 800 of the sites have already had work started on them.
Other sites funded this year include:
Fort Queyras (Hautes-Alpes), constructed in the 13th Century at an altitude of 1,390m, overlooking the village of Château-Ville-Vieille. The medieval chateau was previously a prison and battle site during the Wars of Religion, but was demilitarised in 1944 and has since suffered extensive damage.
The Grands Thermes de Châtel-Guyon (Puy-de-Dôme), designed by Benjamin Chaussemiche, chief architect of the Palace of Versailles from 1917-1924, and inaugurated in 1907. After almost 100 years, the spa closed in 2004, open only for guided tours. Details of sites can be found at missionbern.fr.
