All of the Vauban fortifications and the water-filled moats remain and are open to the public. The arsenal houses the Museum of Drawing and Original Prints, the result of the dynamism of a group of artists from the North, the Gravelines Group, created in 1960, and supported by the political will of the municipality to create a cultural institution in Gravelines.
Only a mooring point at the mouth of the Aa Canal, named Fort Saint-Philippe, recalls the site of the fort built by the Spanish under Charles V and renovated by Vauban. The 1756 relief plan produced at a scale of 1:600, repaired in 1771 and 1819, is preserved at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lille. A copy is on display at the Museum of Drawing and Printmaking in Gravelines. Rich in ancestral historical and cultural heritage, with architecture with multiple influences gleaned from the great pages of regional history, Nord-Pas de Calais is teeming with attractive museums and vibrant cultural venues where you can pick and choose from shows, events, exhibitions, cultural tours, discovery trails, and other great ideas for a memorable stay.
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