Watch Tower

The Watchtower, in Calais

The Watchtower is one of the oldest monuments of Calais, a medieval vestige that dominates Place d'Armes. The Calais audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this watchtower, a witness of the surveillance past of the port city.

The medieval vestige of the city

The Watchtower is one of the oldest monuments of Calais, one of the rare medieval vestiges to have crossed the centuries. Built to watch over the surroundings of the town and the coast, it played a role of watchtower and alert, in a strategic city facing England. Over time, it also served as a signalling tower and sheltered a telegraph. Having resisted the numerous trials that Calais has known, including the destructions of the wars, it stands proudly on Place d'Armes, a witness of the long past of the town and its vocation of maritime surveillance.

What to see

You admire one of the oldest towers of Calais, a medieval vestige that served as a watchtower and signalling tower, standing on Place d'Armes after resisting the destructions of the wars. The Watchtower testifies to the long past of the city. It is a stop for those curious about history, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Watchtower lies on Place d'Armes, in Calais-Nord, reachable on foot. You mainly admire its exterior from the square; the interior access, if any, follows its own conditions and hours, which vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

What was the Watchtower of Calais used for?

To watch over the surroundings of the town and the coast, as a watchtower and alert tower in this strategic city facing England; it also served as a signalling tower and sheltered a telegraph.

Where is the Watchtower?

On Place d'Armes, in Calais-Nord, in France.