Fort Tartenson, Military fort in Fort-de-France, Martinique

Fort Tartenson is a military fortification on the northern coast of Fort-de-France with thick stone walls and strategically placed artillery positions. These structures command views of the harbor entrance and display the architectural style of colonial defense.

Built between 1857 and 1873 on the heights above the Plage des Flamands, Fort Tartenson was the last military fort raised in Fort-de-France in the 19th century. It formed, with Fort Saint-Louis and Fort Desaix, the defensive line protecting the city against English landings. From 1894 to 1898 it housed King Béhanzin of Dahomey, deported with his family and servants, then was armed from 1898 to 1939.

The fort's name comes from a family from the Basses-Alpes that settled in Martinique in the 17th century. King Béhanzin of Dahomey lived here with his family and servants from 1894 to 1898, in apartments fitted out in one of the few barracks; the exiles could move about freely.

Fort Tartenson stands on the heights above the Plage des Flamands, overlooking Fort-de-France; the site is reached on foot from the city centre. In 2009 the city bought the monument from the army for €800,000 as part of a tourism project that foresaw a funicular linking the fort to Pointe Simon. In April 2018 the municipality launched a call for expressions of interest on the fort's development and operation.

The fort was only armed from 1898 to 1939; its battery intimidated the sailors of Admiral Robert stationed at Fort Saint-Louis, hastening Martinique's shift to the Gaullist dissidence. Its underground rooms later housed a communications centre of the Foreign Affairs ministry.