It is at Espace Tourville, on the edge of the historic port of Gravelines, that the construction site of the Jean Bart, a first-rate 17th century ship, is located. The full-scale construction of the ship, which is 57 metres long and approximately 17 metres high, is a major point of interest for the city.
The Jean Bart was named in honour of one of the most famous privateers of the time, originally from the neighbouring city of Dunkirk. The ship, which refers to the large passenger ships of the Sun King's time, is built by the Tourville Association respecting the methods and materials of yesteryear.
The construction of this pharaonic project, which began in 2002 and is expected to take several more years, has created many jobs in the region. Carpenters were particularly busy on this site, including several apprentices from the Cherbourg vocational school, one of the last to offer a professional marine carpenter's certificate.
The site also welcomes the Companions of the Tour of France, one or two who come every year to specialize on the site and, daily, a team of volunteers from the association, most of whom are retired from the metalworking industry, make it live and visit.
Called to become a historical and leisure park on the theme of privateers, the site has been transformed into an artisanal village where we strive to recreate the atmosphere of the trades of yesteryear (carpenters, carpenters, sculptors, caulkers, blacksmiths...).
Nowadays, a forge and a sausage shop allow visitors to discover the art of smoking fish with chips from the Jean Bart oak. A bakery is also planned for the coming years. It will have the particularity of baking bread in the old-fashioned way and it will be eaten directly on site, in the restaurant of the Jean Bart's Tavern.
A visit to the site is an opportunity to discover what a shipyard was several centuries ago. The boat, which is partly open to visitors, is very impressive! A prototype of the boat on a scale of 1/15 is also visible on the yard.
With the coastline as France's leading tourist destination and the maritime heritage that attracts more and more people (the Rouen Armada, for example, attracts more than 450,000 visitors a day!), there is no doubt that the Tourville construction site will soon become a must for visitors to the heights of France!
Valérie from Comme des Français
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