Fort de Socoa, Ciboure, France

Fort Socoa in Ciboure was originally built under the rule of Henry IV to protect the region from the Spanish. Fort Socoa today was however built later under the reign of Louis XIII. In 1636, the Spanish army took the fort. A few years later, French sovereignty was restored.

In 1686, Vauban strenghtened the Fort and planned to build a pier to improve access to the Fort. The work of the fort was ended in 1698. The site housed a barracks and a chapel.

References:

ciboure-paysbasque.com

User Reviews

gustavo stecher (3 years ago)
perfect views of the bay, nice walk. Don’t expect to get inside, it’s just what you see from outside. Avoid the small restaurants on the walk, very touristic and expensive…

Scott Giffen (3 years ago)
Very scenic place to visit, with dining options nearby..

David LILLEY (3 years ago)
Good little restaurants, great views of crashing waves, and the interesting story and transport of the "home-made" concrete wave-breaker blocks.

Mike Borchers (3 years ago)
Very nice place to visit, even in the winter. Nice temps.

Helen Elliot (3 years ago)
Although you can't enter in the fort, there are lots of walks and amazing scenery all around the fort. Beautiful place.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Fort de Socoa

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