The Fort Lapin is located in the town of Sangatte, a few kilometers south-west of Calais.
The remains of the fortification are visible on the departmental road 940 which runs along the seaside. From 1690, the site was first an outpost on the shore of a larger citadel (Fort Nieulay, to the north), as part of a defensive device protecting Calais and its port. According to principles set out by Vauban, this simple redoubt was built according to a square plan, covered with stones, armed with four cannons and occupied by ten men.
In 1860, while tensions remained with England, Fort Lapin was redeveloped and enlarged, equipped with a ditch and could therefore house around thirty soldiers without counting more powerful weapons.
A new mutation took place in the 20th century when the Fort battery played an important role during the German attack in 1940. Then, during the Occupation, Fort Lapin was reinforced and partly concreted, integrating from then the assembly carried out on the coast (known as the Atlantic Wall) intended to prevent an Allied landing.
Nowadays, the site which has been demilitarized is partly silted up. The remains of Fort Lapin can nevertheless mark out a walk or a hike along the coast. Information on +33 3 21 96 62 40.