Sémaphore de l'île de la Liberté

Sémaphore de l'île de la Liberté is a timber lookout structure standing on Liberty Island (île de la Liberté) in the Loire river, within the town of Couëron near Nantes. It is not a natural landmark but a work of contemporary art by French sculptor Vincent Mauger, part of his series "Les Sémaphores" placed along the Loire estuary between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire.

What exactly is this structure?

The piece belongs to a wider open-air art trail that runs alongside the Loire cycling route. The idea behind the series was to mark the estuary landscape with reference points echoing old signal towers, the kind once used to pass messages between the riverbanks with flags and visual signals before modern communication existed. The Couëron sémaphore is one of five such structures spread along the stretch between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, each one framing a different view of the river.

Who designed it, and how was it built?

Vincent Mauger, a sculptor known for working with timber and repeating geometric forms, designed the sémaphore. Turning the concept into a structure able to withstand riverside conditions required collaboration with the carpentry workshop Ateliers Perrault Frères and the engineering firm ECSB, who handled the technical execution of Mauger's design.

What is it made of, and how tall is it?

The tower is built from oak. It rises to roughly five metres, tall enough to let visitors climb a small viewing platform near the top and look out over the surrounding landscape from a vantage point that recalls the old signal posts the series is inspired by.

What can you see from the top?

Liberty Island sits at a point on the Loire where the scenery shifts between two very different registers: stretches that feel close to a nature reserve on one side, and the large-scale industrial installations typical of the lower river near Nantes on the other. The sémaphore is positioned to catch that contrast from its platform, which is precisely what makes this stretch of the estuary distinctive.

How do you get there?

The structure stands on Liberty Island, part of Couëron, right next to Nantes. The island sits directly on the Loire cycling route, making the sémaphore a natural stop for anyone cycling along the river between Nantes and the towns closer to the estuary mouth. Its approximate coordinates are 47.208637, -1.730526.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Couëron sémaphore the only one of its kind? No. It is one of five structures in Vincent Mauger's "Les Sémaphores" series, spaced out along the Loire between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. Each one occupies a different spot in the estuary landscape and frames its own view of the river.

Is there an entry fee? The sémaphore is part of a public open-air art trail along the Loire and, like the rest of the series along the cycling route, is freely accessible.

Can you actually climb it? Yes, the design includes a small viewing platform near the top that visitors can climb, echoing the lookout function of the old signal towers that inspired the series.

Is it worth combining with other stops nearby? Given its location directly on the Loire cycling route, the Couëron sémaphore fits naturally into a longer outing that takes in other stops on the estuary art trail, which extends all the way to Saint-Nazaire.

What material was used to build it? The structure is built from oak, produced with the involvement of a specialist carpentry workshop that turned Vincent Mauger's design into a standing structure.