Description
Planned arsenal city built in the 17th century by order of Colbert to serve as a naval base and shipbuilding center for the French Royal Navy in the Atlantic.
Year of Foundation or Oldest Source
Founded as an arsenal in 1666.
Country (State or Region)
France
Location
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, on the Charente River, near the Atlantic coast.
Structuring
Planned arsenal with a rational layout, including naval shipyards, construction forms (covered dry docks), the famous Corderie Royale (rope manufactory), warehouses, naval hospital, and fortifications. Considered a model of a modern military-industrial establishment for its time.
Notes
Specifically built to relieve pressure on Brest and provide a more southerly naval base on the Atlantic coast. Important shipbuilding center and starting point for scientific and military expeditions. Had minor participation in the slave trade.
Sources
MARNOT, Bruno. Ports as Tools of European Expansion. Encyclopédie d'histoire numérique de l'Europe [online], 2020.; WIKIPEDIA. Traite négrière à Nantes. [s.d.].
