Tourist attractions Rochefort

Built by Colbert in 1666, the building is anchored on a timber form comprised of a grid of oak beams. A rare example of 17C industrial architecture, this classical building was the assembly point for rope used on the great warships. The advent of ste..

The Brouage Ramparts, built between 1630 and 1640, are an excellent example of the art of fortifications before Vauban. Forming a square with sides 400m long, they are protected by seven bastions equipped with bartizans. The North side faced the sea,..

The shipyard stretched along the Charente River on two levels (they still exist today) separated by slipways or dry docks. It had 11 construction yards and careening basins of which the Old Form is the oldest masonry dry dock in the world. A foundry,..

This museum houses a collection of paintings from the 16C and 17C, and the Romantic and Empire periods, including the Lola Montès portrait by Rouget. There is also a beautiful ethnography collection from Africa and Oceania (with superb Polynesian mas..

This museum is a picturesque reminder of the way people once lived, featuring a range of businesses and workshops that were set up in Rochefort between 1900 and 1940 (a Rochefort bar, a hat shop, a pharmacy, a grocery and a forge).

Pierre Loti’s house is made up of two adjoining buildings. The interior is magnificent, and quite amazing, with a ‘‘Renaissance’’ dining room furnished in the Spanish style and decorated with Flemish tapestries, a mosque ornamented with items from th..

With its green woodland of oaks, pines and tamarisks, inlets and beaches of fine sand on which sit Vauban’s fortifications, this little island (seemingly Mediterranean in character) in the mouth of the Charente is ideal for long walks bathed in ocean..

Tucked away among oak woods 2km north of St-Porchaire, Château de la Roche-Courbon (a favourite of writer Pierre Loti) seems straight out of a fairy tale. The place comes alive for visitors as they explore its harmonious balustraded terraces and sump..

The School of Naval and Tropical Medicine was founded in 1722. The current building dates from the end of the 18C, and has a chapel crowned by a clock. You can visit the library and peruse the anatomy, surgery and natural history collections.

The decision to make use of the hot springs came after a visit by Napoleon in 1808. Gushing out at 42° C from the depths of the marsh to the Emperor’s spring , the water is excellent for cases of rheumatism, arthritis and skin disorders.

This imposing group of buildings, where blacksmiths once worked, now houses the Charente-Maritime General Council.

This Neo-classical style church was built in 1662 on the site of an old Capuchin Chapel.

A building from the late 17C, situated opposite the pleasure port alongside the supplies basin. Its bakery could provide 20,000 kg of bread every day.

The town hall, located in the Hôtel Amblimont, dominates this square flanked by houses with Neo-classical façades and adorned with rock-work balconies. In the middle, a monumental fountain shows the Ocean and Charente River mixing their waters. Cinem..

Avenues and zigzag lines of Linden trees have been planted in terraces overlooking the Charente River. A staircase that finishes at a gate with three arcades leads to the Corderie Royale.

A monumental 18C gate is the entrance to this edifice built in the reign of Louis XIV. The adjoining square tower was used for signalling.

The name refers to the return of ships from great expeditions laden with unknown plants, now adorning this contemporary garden featuring a Labyrinth of Naval Battles (planted with yew trees), the Garden of the Americas and the rigging area .

Ropes and cables across the ages; after arriving from Auvergne, the hemp was pulled, and the threads were twisted and braided. On display is an impressive 19C rope-making machine mounted on rails.

Built in the 17C, with a majestic doorway, the former Navy Commission building now houses the Naval Museum.

Here you will find models of ships, of prow figures and Caryatids, navigation instruments, paintings evoking the maritime history of French wars from the 17C to the 20C. Maps and documents are devoted to the old arsenal.