Fort Médoc is a fort built by Vauban, nearby Cussac-Fort-Médoc, in

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The earthworks were started in 1689 and construction of the fort itself in 1691. The fort was an element of the "lock" intended to protect Bordeaux against the risk of invasion from the river, having been built on the left bank of the

Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; , ; , ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just downstream of the centre of Bordeaux. Coverin ...

, complementing Fort Paté, and the Blaye Citadel, which is located on the right hand bank of the Gironde. With the Citadel of Blaye, its city walls and Fort Paté, Fort Médoc was listed in 2008 as

UNESCO World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

, as part of the " Fortifications of Vauban" group.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Medoc Monuments historiques of Gironde Vauban fortifications in France