Visit
A residence for
the French President
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Information
From a military fort…
On the night of 14-15 August 1964 General
de Gaulle visited Brégançon as part of the
commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the
landing in Provence. He was not totally won over
by the place, which was used by the Navy, but
still thought about the possibility of using it as
a presidential residence. A decree of 5 January 1968
assigned the fort to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs
who made it an official residence of the Head of
State. Pierre-Jean Guth, an architect with the
French Navy and former winner of the Prix de
Rome, was placed in charge of refurbishing the
fort whilst retaining the original features from
the fortress.
…to a holiday residence
The Presidents of the Fifth Republic of France have
frequently stayed at Brégançon Fort for a weekend
break or for their summer holidays.
President Pompidou and his wife were the first to
use Brégançon as a holiday retreat, in August 1969.
They subsequently spent many weekends at the
fort, in both winter and summer.
In 1976 President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing chose to
spend his Easter and summer holidays at Brégançon.
On 24 August 1985 President François Mitterrand
received the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at
the fort.
President Jacques Chirac and his wife regularly
spent their holidays at Brégançon.
President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife summered
here.
President François Hollande came to the fort in the
summer of 2012 and in the autumn of 2013 decided
to open it to the public.
History
Visit
A residence for
the French President
Information
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Presidents of the Fifth Republic
of France
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970): President of the
Republic from 8 January 1959 to 28 April 1969
Georges Pompidou (1911-1974): President of the
Republic from 20 June 1969 to 2 April 1974
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (born 1926): President of
the Republic from 27 May 1974 to 21 May 1981
François Mitterrand (1916-1996): President of the
Republic from 21 May 1981 to 17 May 1995
Jacques Chirac (born 1932): President of the
Republic from 17 May 1995 to 16 May 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy (born 1955): President of the
Republic from 16 May 2007 to 15 May 2012
François Hollande (born 1954): President of
the Republic since 15 May 2012
Visitor information
Average length of visit: 2 hours
Gift and bookshop
Centre des monuments nationaux
Fort de Brégançon
83230 Bormes-les-Mimosas
www.monuments-nationaux.fr
History
A residence for
the French President
Information
Brégançon Fort
English
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crédits photos © Philippe Berthé / Centre des monuments nationaux. réalisation graphique Marie-Hélène Forestier. traduction ADT international. impression Stipa, Imprim’Vert®, papier issu de forêts gérées durablement, février 2015.
History
Visit
The official retreat of the French President
An island fortress
Fort seen from
the north-west
Brégançon stands on a rocky outcrop and its name
comes from the Gaulish word briga, meaning
“high”. It is strategically
positioned, dominating
the roadsteads (sheltered
anchorages for ships) of
Hyères and Toulon, and
has been occupied since
128 B.C.. The first fortress here was built in the
Merovingian period, when the domain of Brégançon
also included the land facing it on the continent.
Among the various people to have owned
Brégançon the most famous are Charles I of Naples
(in the 13th century) and Joanna of Naples (in the
14th century). Many of its owners indulged in acts
of piracy.
It has been state property since the French
Revolution, and was rented out to private
individuals from 1924 to 1963. In 1968 General
de Gaulle made it an “official residence of the
President of the Republic”. The island and fort were
listed as historic monuments on 25 September of
the same year.
It is now managed by the Centre des monuments
nationaux, who have opened the site at Brégançon
to visitors since the summer of 2014.
History
Visit
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A residence for
the French President
Information
Ground floor
The military past of fort
Brégançon Fort stands 35 metres above sea level
and it has nearly always housed a garrison. It has
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
was the first to establish a major military presence
on Brégançon.
In 1624 the Cardinal de Richelieu sent the
Governor of Provence, the Duc de Guise, to
inspect the defences along the coast. Brégançon
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
been appointed Inspector of the Coasts after
capturing Toulon from the royalists, stopped over
at Brégançon and took an interest in the fort. On
becoming ruler he had an imposing artillery of
23 canons installed.
After the Franco-Prussian War, works were carried
out by the War Ministry to enable the fort to house
modern artillery and a gunpowder magazine, but no
alteration was made to its external appearance.
Brégançon remained a military fortress until shortly
after the First World War, when it was once again
used to house a small garrison, before being
declassified in 1919.
The interior
1 The Great Hall in the Presidential Buildings
This hall is now used as visitor reception and it is
soberly furnished with a large, two-piece oak
First floor
Areas open to the public
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Areas closed to the public
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3
shop
1
3
2
sideboard which is used as a bookcase, and a set
of chairs painted white and upholstered with a
floral design. A watercolour by Pierre-Joseph Redouté
(1759-1840) showing a fruit platter completes the
decoration. Some of the gifts received by the
French presidents are on display in this room.
2 The chapel drawing room
The white wood panelling in this room is evocative
of the atmosphere of a chapel with its gold and
white sculpted wood mouldings (of flowers, little
vases, and scallops), as is the little balustraded gate
separating this room from the antechamber.
Georges and Claude Pompidou were the first
presidential couple to have the fort refurbished as
a holiday residence. They were especially keen on
modern art and had it furnished with contemporary
pieces by the designer Pierre Paulin, with white
leather armchairs, and tables made from Plexiglass,
African woods, and Scandinavian steel.
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3 Antechamber and green drawing room
The decoration of these rooms is still mainly that
undertaken according to the indications given by
Mme Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing.
4 The dining room
Several meetings were held in the dining room
with its massive six-legged walnut table. The
kitchens and pantry lie behind the little brown
wooden painted doors.
5 The President’s office
There is an office in the east tower of the
President’s apartments. The bedroom and
antechamber (which are not open to visitors)
are in the west tower.
6 The meeting room of President
Georges Pompidou, furnished by Pierre Paulin,
is representative of French design at the beginning
of the 1970s.