Île Longue

Mais les hameaux sont misérables et la route qui relie entre eux Bot-Huelch, Kermeur et Kernaliguen est un fossé boueux, presque impraticable.

Au sud, l'île est fermée par un retranchement bastionné appelé le « mur », une porte donne accès sur la grève que traverse le chemin du Fret.Ile Longue is almost two kilometres long and less than one kilometre wide.

But the villages are poor and the road that connects Bot-Huelch, Kermeur and Kernaliguen is a muddy, almost impassable ditch.

Most of the people work on the west coast of the island where enormous paving-stone quarries were created; they employ 200 workers and produce large quantities of stone blocks, used throughout Brittany and as far as Paris.

To the south, the island is closed off by a fortified entrenchment called the "wall"; a gate provides access to the beach that is traversed by Du Fret Road.

Remains of the main gate and of the casemate still exist, but are enclosed in the military area, and not accessible to the general public.

From 1914 to 1919, Île Longue was used as an internment camp for German citizens captured after the seizure of the ship Nieuw Amsterdam, intercepted by the French 2nd Light Squadron on 2 September 1914.

[2] From 3–23 September, the 1500 passengers were interned at Crozon fort and in Brest; from 4 November, they were transferred to a camp built on Île Longue for the occasion.

The place was chosen because it was close to a large harbour, yet distant enough to stay out of the public's eye, and was easily controlled and defended.

Two dry docks were built, as well as numerous habitation, engineering and defence buildings, and approximately 24 vertical missile silos.