History Visit A residence for Information History Visit A residence for Information History Visit A residence for Information the French President the French President the French President L L L English . 5 1 Presidents of the Fifth Republic 0 From a military fort… 2 r e i r v of France é f , t n e Brégançon Fort On the night of 14-15 August 1964 General m e l b a r de Gaulle visited Brégançon as part of the u Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970): President of the d The official retreat of the French President s e é commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the r Republic from 8 January 1959 to 28 April 1969 é g s t ê landing in Provence. He was not totally won over Georges Pompidou (1911-1974): President of the r o f An island fortress e by the place, which was used by the Navy, but d Republic from 20 June 1969 to 2 April 1974 u s s i r e still thought about the possibility of using it as Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (born 1926): President of i p a Brégançon stands on a rocky outcrop and its name p , a presidential residence. A decree of 5 January 1968 ® the Republic from 27 May 1974 to 21 May 1981 t r briga e comes from the Gaulish word , meaning V ’ assigned the fort to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs m François Mitterrand (1916-1996): President of the i r “ ” p high . It is strategically m I who made it an official residence of the Head of Republic from 21 May 1981 to 17 May 1995 , a p i positioned, dominating t State. Pierre-Jean Guth, an architect with the S Jacques Chirac (born 1932): President of the n o i the roadsteads (sheltered s s French Navy and former winner of the Prix de e Republic from 17 May 1995 to 16 May 2007 r p anchorages for ships) of m i Rome, was placed in charge of refurbishing the . Nicolas Sarkozy (born 1955): President of the l a n Hyères and Toulon, and o i t Fort seen from fort whilst retaining the original features from Republic from 16 May 2007 to 15 May 2012 a n r the north-west has been occupied since e t n the fortress. François Hollande (born 1954): President of i T 128 B.C.. The first fortress here was built in the D the Republic since 15 May 2012 A n o Merovingian period, when the domain of Brégançon i t …to a holiday residence c u d also included the land facing it on the continent. a r Visitor information t . r e i Among the various people to have owned t s The Presidents of the Fifth Republic of France have e r o F Brégançon the most famous are Charles I of Naples e frequently stayed at Brégançon Fort for a weekend n Average length of visit: 2 hours è l é (in the 13th century) and Joanna of Naples (in the H - break or for their summer holidays. e Gift and bookshop i r a 14th century). Many of its owners indulged in acts M President Pompidou and his wife were the first to e u q of piracy. i h use Brégançon as a holiday retreat, in August 1969. Centre des monuments nationaux p a r It has been state property since the French g They subsequently spent many weekends at the Fort de Brégançon n o i t Revolution, and was rented out to private a s i fort, in both winter and summer. 83230 Bormes-les-Mimosas l a é individuals from 1924 to 1963. In 1968 General r . In 1976 President Valéry Giscard d ’Estaing chose to x u “ www.monuments-nationaux.fr a de Gaulle made it an official residence of the n o i spend his Easter and summer holidays at Brégançon. t a n President of the Republic ”. The island and fort were s t n On 24 August 1985 President François Mitterrand e m listed as historic monuments on 25 September of u n received the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at o m the same year. s e the fort. d e r t It is now managed by the Centre des monuments n President Jacques Chirac and his wife regularly e C / nationaux, who have opened the site at Brégançon é h spent their holidays at Brégançon. t r e to visitors since the summer of 2014. B e President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife summered p p i l i h here. P © s o President François Hollande came to the fort in the t o h p s summer of 2012 and in the autumn of 2013 decided t i d é r to open it to the public. c History Visit A residence for Information the French President L The military past of fort Ground floor First floor Brégançon Fort stands 35 metres above sea level Areas open to the public and it has nearly always housed a garrison. It has N Areas closed to the public the ideal position to stand watch over the roadsteads of Hyères and Toulon. In the 13th century Charles I of Naples became king of the Two Sicilies. He had the strongholds on the Mediterranean coast restored and armed, and 4 was the first to establish a major military presence 3 on Brégançon. shop In 1624 the Cardinal de Richelieu sent the 1 3 Governor of Provence, the Duc de Guise, to 2 inspect the defences along the coast. Brégançon 5 was rethought so as to help fight the Barbary pirates who infested the Mediterranean at that time. In 1786 the fort was separated from the domain and downgraded to the status of a lowly barracks. During the French Revolution, Bonaparte, who had sideboard which is used as a bookcase, and a set 3 Antechamber and green drawing room been appointed Inspector of the Coasts after of chairs painted white and upholstered with a The decoration of these rooms is still mainly that capturing Toulon from the royalists, stopped over floral design. A watercolour by Pierre-Joseph Redouté undertaken according to the indications given by at Brégançon and took an interest in the fort. On (1759-1840) showing a fruit platter completes the Mme Anne-Aymone Giscard d ’Estaing. becoming ruler he had an imposing artillery of decoration. Some of the gifts received by the 4 The dining room 23 canons installed. French presidents are on display in this room. Several meetings were held in the dining room After the Franco-Prussian War, works were carried 2 The chapel drawing room with its massive six-legged walnut table. The out by the War Ministry to enable the fort to house The white wood panelling in this room is evocative kitchens and pantry lie behind the little brown modern artillery and a gunpowder magazine, but no of the atmosphere of a chapel with its gold and wooden painted doors. alteration was made to its external appearance. white sculpted wood mouldings (of flowers, little 5 The President’s office Brégançon remained a military fortress until shortly vases, and scallops), as is the little balustraded gate There is an office in the east tower of the after the First World War, when it was once again separating this room from the antechamber. President ’s apartments. The bedroom and used to house a small garrison, before being Georges and Claude Pompidou were the first antechamber (which are not open to visitors) declassified in 1919. presidential couple to have the fort refurbished as are in the west tower. a holiday residence. They were especially keen on 6 The meeting room of President The interior modern art and had it furnished with contemporary Georges Pompidou, furnished by Pierre Paulin, pieces by the designer Pierre Paulin, with white is representative of French design at the beginning 1 The Great Hall in the Presidential Buildings leather armchairs, and tables made from Plexiglass, of the 1970s. This hall is now used as visitor reception and it is African woods, and Scandinavian steel. soberly furnished with a large, two-piece oak.