Lorient: developing a submarine base into a water sports centre

The Keroman submarine base in Lorient, which was built by the German army during the Second World War, was used by the French Navy after the war. More then six thousand people worked there until the end of the 1980s. Its closure in the 1990s threatened the economy of the city. Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was the Lorient mayor at the time, was in charge of redeveloping the site. He was assisted by representatives of the French government. Numerous development projects were envisaged, but unpredictable circumstances resulted in the adoption of other solutions. Ten years later, more then eight thousand jobs have been created. Today, part of the base has been handed over to a luxury pleasure boat equipment manufacturer. Well-known competitive sailing teams have established their technical centres on the quaysides, and, in 2007, the Éric Tabarly Cité de la voile (sailing centre) will be a showcase for the national nautical heritage. Amongst the concrete blockhouses, Lorient has an assured future in state-of-the-art sailing.