En un regard
Le château en bref
The island of Petit Bé (or Bey) and its fort lie a few hundred metres from the ramparts of Saint-Malo and a few dozen metres from the Grand Bé.
The fort was built in the seventeenth century. It formed part of a defensive belt designed by Vauban to protect the town of Saint-Malo from attacks by English or Dutch enemy squadrons. This belt also included Fort National, Fort Harbour, Fort de La Conchée, the forts of Cézembre and of the Pointe de la Varde (these last two works have been destroyed) and the ramparts of the town itself. The fort was built by the Malouin engineer Siméon Garangeau. It consists of a large platform, a three-storey building and two bastions, and could accommodate up to 160 soldiers to serve 19 cannons and 2 mortars.
Owned by the French army until 1885, it was then decommissioned and handed back to the town of Saint-Malo. It was listed as a monument historique by order of 29 October 1921, but was neglected until 2000, the year in which the town signed a lease with an association for its restoration and opening to the public. It can be visited at low tide.