Fort du Portalet

The Fort du Portalet, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was built in 1846 on the orders of Louis-Philippe to guard the Pyrenean border. Set against a cliff overlooking the Gave d'Aspe, it faces the Chemin de la Mâture.

Charged with protecting the Somport pass road against Spanish incursions, it owes its fame to the politicians interned here under the Vichy regime, including Blum, Daladier, Reynaud, Mandel and Gamelin, and, after the war, Pétain. Listed as a historic monument in 2005, it is being restored and is open to visitors in summer, by booking through the tourist office.

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