Fort Balaguier

Its creation, in the first half of the 17th century, corresponded to a strategic imperative: to prohibit access to the Toulon roadstead, which the Royal Tower alone could not guarantee. Indeed, the distance between the two structures, which controlled the entrance to the small Toulon roadstead, was 1,350 meters, while the maximum effective range of artillery was around one thousand meters. A few years later, in 1673, the fort's defenses were reviewed and improved by the naval engineer Gombert, on the eve of the war against Holland (addition of two open-air batteries). During his inspections of Toulon (1679, 1700 in particular), Vauban was critical of the structure, which he considered poorly protected against a surprise attack from land. He proposed a project to improve the tower and its enclosure, which was not carried out. In 1793, after the city of Toulon surrendered to the British, the fort was the scene of fierce fighting between the soldiers of the Republic, led by Bonaparte, and the British.