The best road cycling routes around Saint-Savin

Worth seeing fortress, unfortunately the weather was not nice for further explorations.

Citadel built under Vauban to protect the port of Blaye. https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zitadelle_Blaye

In his 56 years of service, Vauban, who was already an Ingénieur de France, designed 33 new forts, delivered over 400 projects for 160 sites and modernized countless existing forts. He is the actual creator of the enceinte de fer, the iron belt, and the pré carré, with which France under Louis XIV secured its external borders. The fortified town of Neuf-Brisach/Neu-Breisach is considered to be his main work Fortifications by Vauban is the name of the World Heritage site that summarizes the important fortifications of the brilliant French master builder. In 2008, UNESCO decided to include twelve particularly exemplary and well-preserved sites in the World Heritage List: * Arras Citadel * Citadel, ramparts and Fort Griffon in Besançon * Citadel of Blaye, Fort Paté on an island in the Gironde and the * Citadel of Cussac-Fort-Médoc * Briançon fortification system (walls, four forts, signal tower and bridge) * Tour dorée (golden tower) in Camaret-sur-Mer * Fortified Upper Town of Longwy * Fortified city of Mont-Dauphin * Mont-Louis, composed of citadel and fortified city * Fortified town of Neuf-Brisach * Saint-Martin-de-Ré fortress with ramparts, port and citadel * Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: Towers and fortifications in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and on the neighboring island of Tatihou * Fort Liberia, city walls and the fortified cave Cova Bastera in Villefranche-de-Conflent” (Source: Wikipedia)

Blaye is a town in the Gironde department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located on the right bank of the Gironde, approximately 50 kilometers north of Bordeaux. Blaye is known for its citadel, built in the 17th century by Vauban. It has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2008, with the fortifications of the city of Bordeaux and Fort Paté on Pate Island, which are part of the same defensive ensemble. In addition to the citadel, Blaye is also home to several other historical monuments, such as the Porte Royale, the Porte Dauphine, the Porte de l'Estaple, the Saint-Romain church and the Minimes convent. The city is also known for its vineyards, which produce world-famous red and white wine. Visitors can learn about the region's wine heritage by touring wineries and tasting local wines in the town's many bars and restaurants.

If you are in the area, a walk in the citadel of Blaye is a must! History, architecture and wine lovers will find what they are looking for. The cultural heritage per square meter is just incredible!

The citadel of Blaye is a military complex of 25 hectares built between 1685 and 1689 by the military engineer François Ferry. There is a ferry to cross to Médoc with bicycles.

The citadel of Blaye is home to a few bars, restaurants and shops and offers some entertainment on summer evenings.

In its current configuration, the citadel appears as a semicircular complex made up of an enclosure with four bastions and three half-moons, surrounded by deep moats and a counterscarp glacis. To the west, the cliff overlooking the Gironde further reinforces the fortifications The interior of the fortress forms a veritable “closed city” articulated around the place d'armes. The buildings located within the walls of the citadel have different uses: cultural or associative premises, shops, craftsmen's workshops but also low-rent housing. Notable works to see are: - Rudel castle (former fortified castle of the lords of Blaye from the 12th century), remodeled in the 17th century, abandoned from 1820, the castle is being restored. - The Royal Gate, built in 1685, which is one of the two entrances to the citadel. - The Porte Dauphine, built in 1689, is one of the two entrances to the stronghold. - The convent of the Minimes, a monastic complex erected during the reign of King Henri IV - The headquarters hospital (lower part) and the Théâtre du Mascaret (upper part), the development of this vast semi-buried complex dates from 1739. The headquarters hospital retains the remains of an old barbican from the 13th century demolished in the 17th century, the Porte Saint-Romain. - The Bastion des Pères, built in 1689 according to plans by Vauban, is one of the four bastions of the citadel. - The Porte de Liverneuf, built in the 13th century but destroyed in the 17th century to make way for the citadel, is one of the old medieval gates of the old upper town of Blaye. - The handling (archaeological museum), originally designed as a military prison then converted into a handling and a bakery in 1831, it was decommissioned at the end of the 2nd World War and now houses the city's archaeological museum and the estuary museum managed by the conservatory of the estuary.