Citadelle d'Ajaccio, Citadel in Ajaccio, Corsica, France

The Citadelle d'Ajaccio is a six-sided military fortress with six bastions that overlooks the bay from the city center. Its massive stone walls rise above the surrounding streets and form a distinctive landmark visible from the harbor.

The fortress was built in 1492 by Genoese builders and received its most distinctive form from major fortification work by engineer Giovan Giacomo Palearo in 1559. These modifications made it one of the strongest coastal fortresses in the Mediterranean of that era.

The citadel gave its name to the surrounding quarter, which Genoese loyalists such as the Ornano and Pozzo di Borgo families built up beside it from 1492. A monument at the west entrance honours General Pierre Lelong, and the site is now owned by the city of Ajaccio.

The citadel stands just south of the old town, directly on the coast by the harbour, so it is reached on foot from the city centre. The site was still in use by the French armed forces until 2005 and passed to the city of Ajaccio, which is working on opening it to the public. A monument to General Pierre Lelong stands at the entrance on the west side.

The citadel held the resistance fighter Fred Scamaroni as a prisoner during World War II. After torture by the Italian secret police OVRA, he killed himself on 20 March 1943, cutting his throat with an iron wire, and left a message in his own blood: "Je n'ai rien dit, vive la France, vive de Gaulle."