A fourth fortress, the Redoute Mailly, was also built at this time to guard the harbour. Charles De Wailly, architect and painter to the king, was commissioned to build a -high marble obelisk which has now become a focal point of Port-Vendres. The first stone was placed on 28 September 1780, by Mailly's wife, Felicite de Narbonne Pelet, and witnessed by much of the Roussillon nobility. The obelisk is adorned by four bronze bas-reliefs representing the newly independent United States of America, which France had supported during the American War of Independence; the abolition of serfdom in France; free trade and the strengthened French Navy. In commemoration of the building of the obelisk, the Fete de Mailly takes place every September. The day begins with a fancy dress parade through the streets followed by a re-enactment of the placing of the first stone, circus workshops, historical games, rides in a carriage, Xim Xim concert (featuring traditional dance music of central France), Catalan ballet, enactment of a pirate fight, jeu de foulard (bandana game), and so on. The Scottish Art Nouveau architect, interior designer, textile designer and water colourist Charles Rennie Mackintosh lived and painted in Port-Vendres from 1923 until 1927, when he was forced by ill health to return to London, where he died in 1928. During his stay in Port-Vendres Mackintosh painted many watercolours of the town and the surrounding area. During the Second World War, the town was part of a heavily fortified coastal zone established by the occupying forces of Nazi Germany. Coastal artillery batteries were built at Cap Béar just south of the town, but the Germans abandoned the area in August 1944 a few days after the Allied landings on the Côte d'Azur during Operation Dragoon. Politics and administration Mayors Twin towns Port-Vendres is twinned with: Yorktown, Virginia, United States Zweibrücken, Germany Population See also Banyuls AOC Paulilles Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department References External links Tourism Office website Detailed article about the obelisk Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales Seaside resorts in France