Often called Fort d’Ambleteuse in French, it is the only preserved coastal fort still standing between Cherbourg and the Belgian border.
It was built at the end of the 17th century as part of a military harbour program initiated by King Louis XIV, at a place which was inaccessible except at low tide.
During the Second World War, the Germans installed an artillery battery in the fort. Records show it was also used to imprison foreign forced labourers.
The fort was severely damaged by sea mines near the end of the war and was purchased in 1967 by the group Les Amis du Fort d’Ambleteuse, for the symbolic price of one franc. It has since been completely restored and opened up to the public, with two exhibition rooms and a viewing platform overlooking the Straits of Dover.