Fort Boyard is a fort located between the Île-d'Aix and the Île d'Oléron in the Pertuis d'Antioche straits, on the west coast of France.

The construction of the fort had already been considered since the completion of the arsenal in 1666, but Vauban famously advised Louis XIV against it saying "Sir, it would be easier to catch the moon with the teeth than take on such an endeavour in such a location".

The fort was actually started under Napoleon in 1801, in order to protect the coast (and especially the arsenal of Rochefort) from possible incursions by foreign (and especially British) navies. At that time, cannons only had a limited range, and the distance between the two islands of Aix and Oleron was too large to block the passage.

Following difficulties in establishing a firm base (stone blocks had to be installed on the sandy sea bed during low tide but they still sank under their own weight) the project was adjourned in 1809. Construction started again in 1837 under Louis-Philippe, following renewed tensions with Great Britain, and was completed in 1857.

Fort Boyard had a complement of 250 men. It is 61 metres long, 31 metres wide, and its walls are 20 metres high.

By the time of its completion however, the range of cannons had markedly increased, making the Fort unnecessary.

Under the Commune, the fort was converted to a prison, before being abandoned a few years later. Over time the Fort slowly crumbled and deteriorated into the sea as it was left unmaintained.

In 1961 the Commune sold the fort to the département of Charente-Maritime.

In 1967 the final scene of the French film Les Aventuriers was filmed at the remains of Fort Boyard.

In 1988, restoration started on Fort Boyard that would see it restored to its former glory, in order to prepare it for a television game show of the same name. The fort was electrified and a contraption similar to an oil rig has been installed on the side in order to facilitate access to television crews. Restoration on the fort finished in 1989 and filming commenced in 1990. Fort Boyard has been used as the set for the show to this present day.

Many Bretons (Breizh) who claim independence from France view Fort Boyard as part of Brittany territory despite being over 100 miles away from the region.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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