Fort Napoléon, Military fortress in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France.
Fort Napoléon is a square fortress with massive stone walls and bastions at each corner, organized around a central courtyard. The structure was designed to serve as a defensive position controlling views over the bay.
Napoleon ordered construction of this coastal fortification between 1812 and 1823 to strengthen French naval defenses in the Mediterranean. The fort played an active military role only in 1944 when it participated in France's liberation.
Since 1990 the fort has housed the contemporary art gallery La Tête d'Obsidienne, founded in 1985. Each year it also hosts a jazz festival and a Cuban music festival, and in December calendal celebrations fill the casemates and the central courtyard.
The fort is accessible via Chemin Marc Sangnier with free parking near the entrance. Wear sturdy shoes since the pathways around the grounds are uneven.
Fort Napoléon is one of only two redoutes-modèles built in France; the other is Fort Liédot on Île d'Aix, which is the larger type no. 1. The Seyne fort follows type no. 2. Its last film appearance was in Blanche (2002) by Bernie Bonvoisin, whose final scene was shot inside the fort.
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