Built on a 35-metre-high rocky peak, this unusual site located at the tip of the small hamlet of Cabasson, dominates the Mediterranean coast and the îles d'Hyères. A fortified seigneurial residence in the Middle Ages, in 1968 it became the Official residence of the Presidents of the Republic on the proposal of General De Gaulle. Since then, all the heads of state of the Fifth Republic have stayed there. Enter the history of Fort de Brégançon.
The Fort through the ages
From the 1348th century BC to the year XNUMX
The history of Fort Brégançon spreads over more than
2400 years. Due to its strategic geographical position dominating the
roadsteads byHyères and Toulon, he was very quickly occupied.
In the 6th century BC, the Greek geographer Stephen of Byzantium named the place as Pergantium, a counter where quantities of goods pass through. The island serves of oppidum maritima, a high place from where it will be possible to monitor maritime traffic and from which it will also be possible to apprehend threats coming from the sea.
In the long dark period that followed and lasted several centuries, the territory was regularly plundered of its riches by the immediate neighborhood, subjected to pirate or Saracen incursions. William 1, called "the Liberator" will drive out the Saracens in 973 during the battle of Tourtour and Fraxinet. His victories will contribute to liberating and securing an entire territory.
As a reward for "services rendered", several personalities from the entourage of William I, Count of Provence, will receive vacant land plots for management, the beginnings of the first lordships. The islet of Brégançon and the fortress (built on the continent during this period) become the Lordship of Brégançon.
Charles of Anjou, younger brother of King Saint Louis and Count of Provence, married Beatrice of Provence, heiress of the county, in 1246. In 1257, he bought back the property of the community of Marseille. He drove the family out of the House of Fos, recovered Hyères, the islands, the salt marshes and Fort Brégançon. The entrance castle, still existing today, dates from this period. Roger of Fos will be offered 22 localities in exchange, including that of Bormes, thus becoming the first lord of Bormes.
From the revolution to today
The following centuries would bring their share of events such as the passage of the condottiere Spinola behaving like a real pirate, or religious wars, very deadly and destabilizing for this Provence already in the grip of troubles.
During the Revolution, after the recapture of Toulon from the Royalists, Napoleon, then a simple captain, was responsible for restructuring the defenses of the Mediterranean coast. During the winter of 1793-1794, Napoleon stayed at the Fort, re-equipping it with a battery of 36-pounder cannons, giving the site an important place in the defensive plan of the sector.
In 1919, after the First World War, the fort was decommissioned militarily, but was classified picturesque site in 1924. Robert Bellanger, a French industrialist and politician, then rented the Fort from the State. He carried out major works there: running water, electricity, a sea wall, in order to be able to live decently and receive many public figures including the presidents of the Fourth Republic, René coty et Vincent Auriol.
However, World War II comes, the Fort is requisitioned by a German company whose command post is in Bormes village. Bellanger is forced to leave the area. In 1964, the President of the Republic, Charles de Gaulle, is staying at the Fort for one night during the commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the landing in Provence, the site then took on another function from these years.
The presidential residence
General de Gaulle only spent one night at the Fort. However, he still decided to give it the status of presidential residence in 1968. The Fort and the islet are classified as historical monuments. Pierre-Jean Guth, architect of the French Navy, transformed the Fort into a peaceful residence while respecting what remains of the old fortress.
From then on, all the presidents of the Fifth Republic stayed there at least once.
One president, one story…
Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou appreciates the site during his vacation and decides to open its doors to the media. Different artists will be invited to review the furnishings of the fortress.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
In the line, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing stayed at the Fort many times with his family and gave it a young and dynamic image.
Francois Mitterand
To François Mitterrand, Brégançon will have another interest, that of work meetings.
Jacques Chirac
The President Chirac is attached to the Fort which is located in the Var: he spent part of his childhood in Rayol, a few kilometers from the walls of the fortress. The President and the First Lady stay there several times, attending Sunday masses in the village. Mrs. Chirac will honor with her presence one of the main events of the village: The Flower Parade, by becoming its honorary president.
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy also spends time at the Fort, unlike Francois Hollande.
Francois Hollande
Decides not to use it as a presidential residence andopens for public visits in 2014, entrusting its management to the National Monuments Center.
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic since 2017, appreciates the idea that the site is accessible to French people. He then makes the compromise of alternating between public visits et presidential residenceHe often stays in Bormes les Mimosas in the summer, giving him the opportunity to relax with his family while organising work meetings, even going so far as to receive political figures like Theresa May in 2018, Vladimir Putin in 2019 or Angela Merkel in 2020.
Visit Fort de Brégançon
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