Arsenal town , Rochefort was built in a few years by the King Louis XIV to increase the power of France on the seas. Its history is tightly linked to the history of the sailing navy. Frigates and vessels of high row of the " Royale " were constructed, armed and maintained in the maritime arsenal of Colbert.
Many technical innovations around naval industry came from Rochefort. The submarine, for instance, has been invented there.
Rochefort obtained the Grand Prix National du Patrimoine in 1993.