Fort Boyard, Sea fort in Île-d'Aix, France
Fort Boyard is an oval sea fortress built of stone that rises 20 meters (65 feet) above sea level in the Pertuis d'Antioche strait between the islands of Oléron and Aix. The outer walls extend roughly 68 meters (223 feet) in length and 31 meters (102 feet) in width, with towers at both ends of the longer sides.
Military engineers constructed this defensive structure between 1801 and 1857 to protect the arsenal at Rochefort from British naval threats. The lengthy construction faced difficult conditions on the sandbank and several interruptions during the Napoleonic wars.
The former military structure now serves as a backdrop for television productions and draws onlookers who observe its exterior walls from boats. Many visitors recognize the distinctive oval shape from the popular game show that has been filmed here for decades.
Boat tours depart from Fouras-les-Bains, Rochefort, and Port-des-Barques, allowing visitors to circle the fortress and observe its exterior walls up close. The trips typically last several hours and depend on tidal conditions and weather at sea.
The sandbank lies 4.5 metres below the lowest tides, and the first stone block was laid on 11 May 1804, a 7 m³ rock topped with an iron beacon. Blocks were blasted from the Pointe de Coudepont on Île d'Aix and carried to the site by gabares, flat-bottomed cargo barges.
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