Toulon Audio Tours

Toulon's identity has been determined by the sea since the Roman navy maintained a signal station on its gulf. Henry IV established the arsenal in the early 17th century, and Vauban and Richelieu strengthened it into France's principal Mediterranean fleet base, a status it still holds. The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is based here, and the city's relationship with the navy is not ceremonial but operational: this is a working port for a working fleet.

In November 1793, a 24-year-old artillery officer named Napoleon Bonaparte helped recapture the harbor from British and Spanish forces in his first major military success, earning promotion to brigadier general.

One hundred and forty-nine years later, on November 27, 1942, the French fleet admiral ordered the scuttling of 73 ships in the harbor to prevent their capture by Germany after the Nazi occupation of Vichy France, one of the most dramatic naval decisions of World War II. The old port today functions as a lively market and cafe strip, somewhat incongruously adjacent to one of Europe's largest active naval installations.