As well as the glamour and glitz and the façade of the local 'gendarmerie' that graced the French silver screen, Saint-Tropez boasts a long and eventful historical past, of which the most obvious example is the citadel that dominates the town.

A first 'enceinte' or protective wall with its bastioned structure was built around the town in the 15th century for the dual purpose of protecting the site from invasion and to ensure the King's authority over the inhabitants. In 1589, Maréchal de Villars supervised the construction of a small fort on the hill known as 'colline des Moulins' overlooking Saint-Tropez. This fort was destroyed in 1595, but the military engineer Raymond de Bonnefons chose the same site to build further defensive structures from the start of the 17th century.
1607 saw the completion of the citadel's present-day keep, a thick-walled hexagonal tower concealing a huge interior courtyard, accessible via a drawbridge, and strongly defended by an artillery platform and three round flanking turrets with cannon embrasures. A few years later, a bastioned outer wall was built around the keep and lined with a system of moats and counterscarps. Situated between Toulon and Antibes, Saint-Tropez became a strategic port of call in the protection of the French coastline, and all its defences faced out towards the Mediterranean. In 1637, the inhabitants of Saint-Tropez saw off a surprise attack on the port by around twenty Spanish ships and four royal navy vessels. No major changes were made to the citadel until the 19th century, when military engineers gave the structure its current silhouette. The outer walls were pierced and adapted to store gunpowder, and the entry to the internal courtyard was rendered accessible to vehicles, via a bascule drawbridge designed in 1830. During World War 1, the fortified town became a detention camp for German prisoners, who carried out various public works in the local area. From 1942, the citadel was occupied by Italian troops, then by the Germans. The citadel and the town was liberated by the Allied troops and the First French army after the landing on the Mediterranean beaches between Saint-Raphaël and Hyères in August 1944.
The citadel is located in a harmonious setting of wooded hills, accessed by following a footpath lined with eucalyptus and rosebays, where it is not unusual to find wild peacocks. Since 1958, the edifice has housed a naval museum comprising of a dozen rooms offering the visitor the opportunity to discover the naval heritage of Saint Tropez from antiquity to the modern day. The permanent exhibition presents archeological submarine equipment, models, engravings and paintings of boats, as well as a collection of documents recording the extraordinary lives of famous local people: two rooms are devoted entirely to Pierre André de Suffren, bailiff to the King, and Jean-François Allard, an officer under Napoleon who became generalissimo of the forces of an Indian Prince. Naturally, the history of the Allied landing is also covered, in particular courtesy of exceptional military staff maps from the period retracing the progress of the liberators. Access to the upper terrace of the museum offers visitors a superb panoramic view. Looking towards the sea the view of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime is extraordinary with a combination of jagged rocky coastline, headlands, bays, creeks and islands. Looking inland, when the hot mistral wind is blowing, the view spans both snowcapped mountains and the red rocky landscape of the Estérel hills. On the terrace, four Spanish cannons seized from the enemy continue to symbolically scan the horizon in anticipation of an attack that will no longer materialise.
Access to the Citadel of Saint-Tropez 70km from Toulon via Hyères by the A 57, then the N 98 to Bertaud, and the D 98a. 100km from Nice by the A 8 (exit no. 38 Fréjus, St-Raphaël), then the N 98 via Sainte-Maxime, and the D 98a. 120km from Aix-en-Provence via Brignoles by the A 8 (exit no. 13 Le-Cannet-des-Maures, Vidauban, La Garde-Freinet), then the D 558 to Bertaud, and the D 98a. Visiting the naval museum Open all year round except Tuesdays and some public holidays. Possibility of guided tours (also in English during the tourist season). Saint-Tropez Tourist Office Quai Jean Jaurès 83990 Saint-Tropez Tel. 33/ (0) 494 974 521 Fax 33/ (0) 494 978 266 Minitel 36 15 VAR e-mail: tourism@ot-saint-tropez.com

August 1944 in Provence.Creation of a second front after the landing June 6th 1944. August 15th 1944 the operation "Dragoon" on the coasts of Provence will take place. It aims to create a second front on the French territory. 2000 war pieces and as many planes will take part in it. The 7th American army of General Patch, including the French forces of the B army of General de Lattre de Tassagny, arrives in the night between August 14th and 15th on the French coasts. In Provence the resistance fighters are informed by Radio-London. Little after midnight, while the American Rangers reach the islands of Levant (region of the Eastern Mediterranean), the first French commandos take Cap Nègre and conquer a strategically vital localisation around Le Lavandou. During the night more then 5000 parachutists are released above the valley of Argens in order to block the access of the landing zones. Here they will get the support of the "Forces Françaises de l'intérieur".

At daybreak, an air and naval raid crushes the German batteries. At 8 a.m. the 3rd, 36th and 45th American infantry division (A.I.D.) reaches the coastal beaches between Cavalaire and Saint-Raphaël. The 16th the French forces start to land. While the American forces march up towards Durance and the valley of the Rhone, the B army must take Toulon and Marseille. These harbours are vital for the the allied strategy. August 20th Toulon starts to be surrounded. The Commandos and the Strike forces seize the batteries of the enemy, "Français Libres", Algerians, "Marsouins" of the Colonian Army and Senegalese try to take the city. The 9th Division of the Colonial Infantry (D.C.I.) will release Toulon from the occupying forces. On August 28th, the German garrison will surrender. At the same time de Lattre launches its troupes towards Marseille. The Moroccans take Aubagne. The 3rd Algerian Infantry Division (A.I.D.) of General Monsabert takes position at the suburbs of Marseille where the insurrection broke out. The 23rd of August, riflemen and cuirassiers join the resistant fighters. Five violent days of combats will be necessary to weaken the German defences. The two harbours were conquered one month in advance. From now on the French Armies will march towards the Rhone valley to contribute to push back the enemy.

The Mount Faron, dominates Toulon with its imposing silhouette. Therefore the town is also known as "The harbour of the Mountain". From the top of this 530m high mountain you can discover a vast maritime panorama, which extends from the islands of Hyères to the Bec d'Aigle de La Ciotat. Thus the visit of the memorial offers a beautiful touristic walk. The "Faron" can be reached either by cable car or by foot. The departure station of the cable car is located near the Hotzl "Altéa la Tour Blanche". It connects the public transports to the centre of the city. This overhead trip is prolonged on approximately 1 500m. From here you can discover the entire coast. This trip is a one-way street: from the west you reach the top of the hill and from the east you descend. Among the interesting tourist attractions, it is necessary to mention the zoo and the "chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Faron".

With the installation of a memorial, President Charles de Gaulle wanted to pay tribute to the soldiers of the B army (which became thereafter the first French Army) and commemorate the landing of the allies of 1944 in which the French troops took part. To locate this memorial, the Minister of "Veterans" proposes Toulon, since its seizure had a vital importance for the release of the Provence. Even if the location of the "Mount Faron" is isolated, it seduces anyone with its prestigious panorama. It's also a location of memory. Many combats took place here, in particular the fight of the battalion of the Strike Forces, August 21st and 22nd 1944. On the mount, which faces the great Basin viewing the sea, a little fort, intended to observe the Beaumont tower was once situated there. The architect Pascalet used its premises and added several buildings in order to create the memorial. This architectural piece was unveiled August 15th 1964 by General de Gaulle. During this ceremony an attack against the President of the Republic was fomented; the bomb, placed in a jar didn't explode.

Two main parts make up the memorial: the first is dedicated to the historical evocation. In many showrooms, pictures, models, arms and military uniforms recall the course of the different episodes of the landings. In an audiovisual room a 15 m large animated Diorama illustrates the coast of the Provence, from Anthéor to Marseille. Here it is possible to admire the most important operations, since the night of August 14th and 15th 1944 until the release of Marseille. A film concerning the landing is shown on a movie screen. The second part focuses more on the memory. The visitor has the possibility to remember all people who participated to the release: chiefs of government, allied soldiers, and resistance fighters... Many personal objects give an emotional touch to this exhibition. An anti-tank device, an anti-aircraft canon as well as a Sherman tank are symbolically positioned outside the building. On the low wall, which follows the hill towards the memorial, several commemorative plaques have been placed in memory to the combatants. Further, towards Croix-Faron a stele has been placed to commemorate the commanding officer of the Croix-Faron battery, who was killed during the combat of May 1940.

Memorial of the landings in the Provence Mont Faron

83200 TOULON

Tél. : 04 94 88 08 09 - Fax : 04.94.88.10.47

Le mémorial est ouvert tous les jours sauf le lundi

• Du 1er octobre au 30 avril ouverture du mardi au dimanche

de 10 heures à 13 heures et de 14 heures à 17 heures 30

• Du 1er mai au 30 juin ouverture du mardi au dimanche

de 10 heures à 13 heures et de 14 heures à 18 heures 30

• Du 1er juillet au 31 août ouverture 7 jours sur 7

de 10 heures à 13 heures et de 14 heures à 18 heures 30

• Du 1er au 30 septembre ouverture du mardi au dimanche

de 10 heures à 13 heures et de 14 heures à 18 heures 30

Toute l'année la caisse est fermée une heure avant les heures de fermeture.

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Natura 2000