Disused fort guards forgotten Glénan archipelago

Fort Cigogne is a French historic fort located on the Cigogne island in the Glénan archipelago, in Finistère. It is owned by the State and inscribed as a historic monument on the 17th of July 2009. Today, it is leased to the Les Glénans sailing school. One tower also serves as an anchor. The fort was built after 1717, in response to the occupation of Glénan archipelago by English and Dutch corsairs. Corsairs continued to settle in the islands of Penfret or l'Île aux Moutons, outside the range of the fort's cannons.

Throughout the 19th century, various construction campaigns were undertaken to complete the fort and adapt it to the evolution of artillery. The fort was decommissioned by the French Navy in 1899. The fort was then assigned to the Collège de France and served as a meteorological and ornithological observation post for the Concarneau Marine Biology Laboratory. A 20-meter tower was built on the southern wall in 1911, allowing the French Navy to test the speed of steam boats until the island of Groix. Today, Fort Cigogne is part of the heritage, and restoration and renovation works are ongoing.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons