Fort National

A model in Saint-Malo's history museum suggests that a battery may have occupied the site before the erection of the Vauban fort.

The engineer Siméon Garangeau built the fort following Vauban's plans, and on the orders of King Louis XIV.

The fort augmented the defences of the city, and was part of a chain of fortifications that stretched from Fort-la-Latte to Pointe de la Varde.

The original fort was a rectangle, built of granite, with two half bastions at the south, protecting the gate.

Inside the fort there is a long building that contained quarters for the officer and troops, and equipment rooms.

Three days later, the Anglo-Dutch force captured Fort de la Conchée and Cézembre island.

For their attack on Saint Malo the English had brought a vessel packed with gunpowder to use as a floating mine against the city's defences, but it ran aground short of its target.

The fort contains an underground cistern with a capacity of 50,000 liters, fed by gutters, and accessible both by a trapdoor and a well.

The American 83rd Infantry Division was responsible for the liberation of Saint Malo, including Fort National.