Espace TourvilleTime travel to the XVIIth century!

Tourville, building site of the replica of a historic vessel

Navigate to the heart of a huge experimental archeological project whose aim is to recreate this majestic sailing ship, named the Jean Bart, in honour of the great Dunkirk corsair.

Discover all the traditional knowledge which surrounds the historic naval construction trades. From the forge to the models workshop, passing the traditional smokehouse and the carpentry workshop, you will plunge into the universe of a naval shipyard of another age.

Getting there

The Jean Bart

Situated in the port of Gravelines, halfway between Dunkirk and Calais, on the Opal coast, at the foot of Vauban’s fortifications, the craft village of Espace Tourville invites you to discover the construction site of the Jean Bart.

A lot more than a ship, this maritime cathedral, emblematic of Louis XIV’s great navy, armed with 84 cannons, is being constructed thanks to the knowledge of the marine carpenters and blacksmiths, who are working in front of you, on the creation of this historic heritage, unique in France.

From the forest to the finished part, discover the life of a tree, the optimisation and the value of wood in naval construction, in carpentry, in the energy of wood, and in smoking food to feed the sailors on board these 3-mast vessels. Learn how the carpenters handle, draw, cut out and assemble these huge pieces of oak of several hundred kilos, to give birth to the skeleton of the Jean Bart.

An unusual and enriching activity that you can discover alone, with friends, or with your family.