Old Pumping Station

Across France, the scars of the Second World War are still visible. While the memories remain vivid for older generations, some cities were marked forever—devastated by bombings and forced to rebuild from the ground up. Saint-Nazaire is one of them. It’s said that 85% of the city was destroyed during the war, and today, you can count the remaining century-old buildings on one hand—especially near the port.That’s exactly why this old pumping station, a proud survivor of the bombings, is such an important stop on our tour. Built between 1904 and 1907 and officially put into service in 1911, the building originally served a dual purpose. As you’ll see on the main façade, one side housed a power station that provided energy for the port—running the locks and lighting up the docks—while the other side was home to the actual pumping station. It’s called a pumping station because its main job was to raise the water level in the port basins of Saint-Nazaire. With the natural drop in water due to evaporation and the constant movement of the locks, levels could get too low for ships—especially as they grew larger and heavier. To fix this, a system of powerful steam-driven pumps was used to bring the water back up and keep the ships afloat. As technology evolved, so did the station. In the late 1940s, it was modernized with electric and diesel engines. More upgrades followed in 1958 and 1974, but by around 1993, the facility was finally shut down, replaced by an automated pumping system installed at the eastern entrance of the basins. Since 2001, the old pumping station has been listed as a historic monument—and for good reason. It’s the only one of its kind ever built in France. A rare and remarkable piece of industrial heritage that Saint-Nazaire is proud to share with visitors—just like you—every single day.