Unusual remains above the Mediterranean!

On the ramparts of Promenade Amiral de Grasse, on the sea side of the wall, Turkish toilets are suspended over the drop to the sea below. These unusual remains bear witness to an age when everyone went to relieve themselves in these fairly unique public toilets!

More than a century ago, there were a great many public toilets as most houses did not have a sewage system and the waste disposal in those that did was not as efficient as today.

For this reason, residents in the old town took themselves off to these toilets embedded in the ramparts. The little cabins had an evacuation chute that went down to the sea.

The cabins (see photo) were themselves the remains of sentry boxes which sheltered sentinels on duty to survey the sea for invaders. In order to keep up their vigilance in all situations, these cabins made it possible for them to be protected and relieve themselves without leaving their post.