It is a small path that was erected in the middle of bomb holes and mines still hidden. Ravaged during the Second World War, the island of Cézembre remained isolated for a long time because of its dangerousness. Property of the National Coastal Conservatory, the small island located four kilometers off Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine) has been the subject of a major restoration program. For a long time, only its beach was accessible to visitors. Demining operations had been carried out at the request of the department to allow the reopening of a secure path offering a loop of around 800 meters since 2018.
In August 1944, 20,000 bombs had been dropped by the Allies on the small Channel territory. The Americans had even tested their napalm bomb for the first time, in the hope of driving out the German occupier. “Cézembre was one of the most bombed places per square meter in Europe during the Second World War”, explained Colonel Trevor Hill, commander of the Rennes defense base.
Closed throughout the winter to let the fauna and flora evolve in peace, the trail reopens this Saturday to boaters. Crossings are also offered by private companies. Much of the island remains closed to the public due to the potential presence of bombs but also in order to allow the reproduction in large numbers and in peace of protected birds such as the crested cormorant, the penguin twisted, the guillemot of Troïl, the bank swallow or the herring, brown and sea gull.
This year 2023 will be marked by renovation work carried out on the only building on the island that houses the restaurant. Dating from 1950, the building will undergo a major restructuring project.