The Fort de Portzic was built near the town of Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

 by Vauban

Vauban

Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...

 between 1693 and 1699 as part of the defences of the goulet de Brest

Goulet de Brest

The Goulet de Brest is a 3 km long strait linking the roadstead of Brest to the Atlantic Ocean. Only 1.8 km wide, it is situated between the Pointe du Petit Minou and the Pointe du Portzic to the north and the îlot des Capucins and the Pointe des Espagnols to the south.At each turn of...

. It faces the pointe des Espagnols

Pointe des Espagnols

The Pointe des Espagnols is the north-east extremity of the Roscanvel peninsula, an outgrowth of the Crozon peninsula closing off the roadstead of Brest...

 and was improved and enlarged over time (including the Phare du Portzic

Phare du Portzic

The phare du Portzic is situated on the north-eastern extremity of the Goulet de Brest and is the nearest lighthouse to the town of Brest. It was inscribed as a monument historique before 1987...

in 1848 and a semaphore station in 1987), since it formed the town's last and innermost defence. The buildings on the site remain in military use.

External links

• Position de Portzic (patrimoine)
• Fort de Portzic (photos)