Our Blog - Bretagne Trip - Summer 2021 - Rochefort, France

Rochefort is not one of the "very old towns" like are scattered around France. Instead, it was created in December 1665 when Jean-Baptiste Colbert decided to create the Arsenal de Rochefort, a huge Naval base and dockyard. It is an example of 17th-century "ville nouvelle" or new town, which means its design and building resulted from a political decree. It is also called Rochefort-sur-Mer to distinguish it from, for example, Rochefort-en-Terre. It actually isn't "on the sea" as the name would suggest, but rather, on the right-bank of the Charente River (which then flows into the Atlantic). The arsenal closed in 1926 and many of the buildings have been given new life in other ways.

We only spent a few hours there, so we didn't see all of the various sites. Perhaps we will go back again and see the things we missed.

This is part of the old wall from the former naval base. Behind it is a large park and the Royale Corderie, or the Royal Rope Factory. It is over 1200 feet long and for centuries, it was the longest manufacturing building in the world. I probably didn't really do it justice with the multiple pictures, but I tried. You can also see the river behind it.

In this area, between the former arsenal and the main square (Place Colbert), there are several really nice houses.

The theater is also quite nice, with what I think of as Italian Renaissance style.

Place Colbert is the main square in town. There is a bit of green space with a couple restaurants, as well as a fountain with a miniature Arc de Triomphe. You can also see the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) in the pictures on the square with the French flag flying overhead.

I grabbed this picture, which shows the old fortified naval arsenal/town. You can see the river towards the top and Place Colbert in the middle, surrounded by trees.

Nearby is a little port for sailboats, surrounded by a growing new area with lots of 4-story apartment buildings. It looks like they are trying to revitalize this area, which sits between the train station and the former Arsenal.