Saint-Martin-de-Ré
| Saint-Martin-de-Ré | ||
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| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | La Rochelle | |
| Canton | Île de Ré | |
| Community association | Île de Ré | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 12 ′ N , 1 ° 22 ′ W | |
| height | 0-17 m | |
| surface | 4.70 km 2 | |
| Residents | 2,231 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 475 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 17410 | |
| INSEE code | 17369 | |
| Website | www.iledere.com | |
 Saint-Martin: View over the roofs to the harbor |
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Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a French commune with 2,231 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) on the French Atlantic coast in the Charente-Maritime department . It is located on the island of Ile de Ré .
history
The extensive fortress was built in the early 17th century and later expanded considerably by Vauban . From the citadel near the port, the convicts were previously shipped to the Bagno in French Guiana and New Caledonia , (as Henri Charrière describes in Papillon ). During the occupation of the Ruhr , numerous German political prisoners were imprisoned in the citadel. Part of the port is tide-dependent and falls completely dry at low tide.
The fortifications, along with other works throughout France, have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site " Fortifications of Vauban " since 2008 .
Model of the Vauban Citadel
Fortress in
Saint-Martin
Gate to the fortress
Today Saint-Martin is an idyllic holiday resort with 2231 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017). There is a sports boat harbor in the middle of the city around which hotels, restaurants and bistros are grouped. The largest correctional facility in the Maison centrale category in France is still located in the fortifications . Prisoners who have been sentenced to long prison terms and whose chances of successful rehabilitation are considered to be low are kept there.
A point of contention in 1993 was the safeguarding of the prison against the liberation of the inmates through the use of helicopters. For this purpose high masts were installed, which were connected with steel cables. This type of security was in stark contrast to the otherwise very picturesque architecture of the island. In the meantime, the masts have been removed and the steel cables attached at the height of the fortress walls.
The outer fortifications can be visited.
St. Martin's Harbor
St. Martin lighthouse
St Martin's harbor at low tide
Donkey in the fortress
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2017 |
| Residents | 2262 | 2096 | 2135 | 2400 | 2512 | 2637 | 2588 | 2231 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
Attractions
See: List of Monuments historiques in Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Personalities
- Ernest Cognacq (1839–1928), wholesale merchant
literature
- Gustav Ritter and Edler von Oetinger: In chains from the Ruhr area to Saint = Martin de Ré. Experiences of political prisoners in the Ruhr area, in the Rhineland and in France 1923/24. With reference to official material , Julius Hergt Verlag, Essen 1925.
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 912-916.
