#SAINT MALO

[jesslgb1986]

📍Saint-Malo

[mortal-perspective]

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Seaside pool in Saint Malo

Inaugurated in the summer of 1936, this unmissable seaside pool is now an integral part of Saint Malo landscape.

We seemed to have hit each spot at low tide 😂

[witekspicsoldpostcards2]

ST. MALO / Saint Malo =>>> FRANCE

[unautreregardblogphotos]

Une mouette ou un Goéland ? En tout cas, c'est à Saint Malo.

[merpmonde]

Fort National, Saint Malo

Work is starting to pile up on my end, so I have to make this a quick one.

This is Fort National, a building we saw in the post on MV Bretagne. It was built in the late 17th century by Vauban - one of many, many, many projects he designed for Louis XIV's grand plan to fortify the French border. It was called Fort Royal, a name which would stick for little more than a century, before the Revolution banished any mention of royalty. It became Fort Républicain, then Fort Impérial under Napoleon, and finally Fort National after Napoleon III's Empire was defeated by Prussia in 1870. This regular name changing was derided by a local nickname, "Fort Caméléon", but it also give a glimpse into France's political history.

The rock on which the fort sits, known as Îlette (the small island), has quite a sorry history. Before Vauban, it was apparently used as an execution ground by local lords, and during World War II, the occupying Nazis used it as a prison during Allied bombings - fully expecting the fort to be bombed.

Today, the fort is privately owned, but visits are allowed on occasions.

[18th-century-mental-health]

The tomb of Chateaubriand (1768-1848), famous French writer, mostly known for his part in the romanticism movement.

It is located on the Grand Bé islet, a few feets away from Saint-Malo intramuros and accessible during low tide. Chateaubriand wanted to be buried here so he could forever hear the sound of waves and wind, the same sounds that welcomed him to life when he was born in that city. The mayor accepted after some issues, and the writer was finally able to build his tomb, ten years before his death. About a century later, during WWII, Saint-Malo was heavily bombed and nearly destroyed, and the tomb also received some dammage. That is why it looks kinda recent when we see it today. While restoring it, it was decided to remove the separation facing the see and to erase his name from the grave, because that was more correct regarding to his last wills. Only a plaque was put on a small wall behind (the islet is full of diverse ruins) saying that a writer is resting here and doesn't want to be disturbed.

The tomb before the war (source here)

A plaque about him inside the city walls

[retrogeographie]

Saint-Malo, quartier de Saint Servan.

[sebafocus83]

Saint-Malo, ses remparts, sa baie et la reproduction de la frégate corsaire "l'Etoile du Roy", à bord duquel plusieurs séries et films ont été tournés.

[boschintegral-photo]

Saint-Malo France

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Since we had a little time in our hand on Sunday before returning to Paris we decided to take a little detour and check out a little piece of Britanny… Saint Malo.

[ilblogdellestorie]

Saint Malo

[merpmonde]

Saint Servan and the Solidor Tower

On the right-hand side of the Rance river, just before the fortified city of Saint Malo on the estuary, is the smaller town of Saint Servan. In fact, it technically isn't a town anymore, it was absorbed by Saint Malo in the 1960s. But for most of history, there was a stark contrast between the two, as Saint Malo fiercely proclaimed its autonomy several times. Hence the Solidor Tower.

Consisting of three tightly-bunched round towers and their connections, the Solidor was built in the 14th century by the Dukes of Brittany as a means to control the Rance estuary, against the rebellious Saint Malo if needed.

Like other fortresses, such as the Bastille in Paris or the towers at La Rochelle (another time maybe), its strategic value soon dwindled, and it seemed best-suited to serve as a prison or as storage during the late 18th-early 19th centuries. It has been an officially classified monument since 1886, and had housed a maritime-themed museum since 1970, though this appears to be in limbo and I can't find the tower's current function.

A walk along the coast on the West side of Saint Servan will reveal a bit more history: an old lifeboat station, a small tower in the sea that serves as a tide gauge... further up, a WWII memorial with the remains of concrete bunkers, and further along, a view of Saint Malo. It's a worthwhile detour for people visiting Saint Malo, especially if you're concerned that the city centre will be too crowded. But I think I remember parking here wasn't easy either; on a nice day, the locals who don't want the hassle of "intra-muros" would come here.

[grandboute]

[miyoshi-iwasawa]

Saint-Malo, France  2023

[boschintegral-photo]

Saint-Malo France