Rochefort
A major 17th-century naval port and arsenal
Nestling in one of the last meanders in the Charente before the sea, Rochefort developed into a major naval port, dockyard and arsenal from the 17th century; now it constitutes an unmissable stop along La Flow Vélo® cycle route. Explore this dynamic town turned towards the Charente Estuary, its islands, and the ocean beyond…
How this great French royal naval port was born
Arriving in Rochefort, walk beside the Charente River to visit the majestic naval buildings that were begun from 1666, by order of Louis XIV’s great minister Colbert, and that now make up the Arsenal des Mers (or Arsenal of the Seas).
In the mid-17th century, the Sun King’s navy only counted some 20 or so ships. That made it hard for the French kingdom to compete with the greater naval power of the British and the Dutch, threatening the French coasts.
Rochefort was created from scratch as France’s first Ancien Régime new town. It would become the nerve centre of the region. The immense naval dockyards that developed here stretched 2.5km along the Charente River, encompassing all the buildings needed for the construction and arming of a royal fleet, such as a ropery (corderie), carpentry centre, barrel-making building, foundry and powder magazines…
La Corderie Royale (Royal Ropery)
Built in the late 1660s, the Corderie Royale was considered to have been the longest manufacturing building in Europe at the time and remains Rochefort’s most impressive monument.
Its dimensions are exceptional, measuring 373m in length and 8m in width. These, and its elegant classical architecture, make this a truly remarkable edifice. The extraordinary length of the building allowed for ropes to be made in one go, measuring 600 times ‘‘the king’s foot’’, that’s to say 200m in length!
The interior is now home to the Centre International de la Mer, retelling the fascinating story of how ropes are made, while workshops on seamanship are also put on. Part of the interior is given over to major temporary exhibitions, always devoted to the maritime world and making use of interactive technology.
L’Hermione, a freedom frigate
For some twenty years, in recent times, Rochefort’s arsenal came back to life with the construction of a faithful reproduction of L’Hermione, the three-masted ship that famed French military man, the Marquis de La Fayette, used in the late-18th-century to sail over to support the American war of independence from Britain. The replica left its home port in spring 2015 to cross the Atlantic to the United States. At time of writing, this modern-day L'Hermione is being restored in the Atlantic port of Bayonne.
Rochefort Transporter Bridge
Just south along the Charente River, La Flow Vélo® cycle route leads you to the foot of Rochefort’s transporter bridge. Entering into service in 1900, it linked the two banks of the Charente while still allowing vessels to come in and out of Rochefort docks thanks to its movable table.
A listed historic monument, this bridge, built in the Eiffel style, was an ingenious piece of engineering that functioned up to 1967. After its gondola had been restored, it was still in use up to 2015, for pedestrians and cyclists. At time of writing, renovation works are still under way before people can once again make use of the transporter bridge.
