Frequently asked questions

La Citadelle is a company founded in July 2023 in Pontarlier (Doubs, France) by Nicolas Schmitt, a blockchain consultant. It is dedicated exclusively to Bitcoin and digital autonomy: in-home setup of Bitcoin wallets and hardware vaults, nodes, cybersecurity and talks, for individuals, professionals and organisations. Sessions are held in French, or in English on request.

Prices range from €350 to €1,000: BOUCLIER and COFFRE €350, REMPART and ÉTENDARD €500, REMPART · Paradigme €550, DONJON €1,000. These are net prices (VAT not applicable under article 293 B of the French General Tax Code) and include the in-home session and one year of learning support. Hardware is not included.

To secure your bitcoins, move them off exchanges and hold your own keys: this is self-custody. In practice, a hardware wallet keeps the keys offline, the recovery phrase is backed up on a durable medium and never photographed, and the devices you use are clean. The REMPART package sets all of this up in your home.

A Bitcoin vault is a properly configured hardware wallet: a small dedicated device that keeps your private keys offline and requires your physical approval for every transaction. Combined with a well-protected recovery phrase and a PIN code, it is the recommended way to hold bitcoins over the long term.

No. No IT or finance skills are required. Every step is explained in plain language and you carry out the important actions yourself, so you gradually become independent. The one-year learning support then lets you ask any question you have, even the ones that seem the most basic.

No, never. You generate your own recovery phrase and private keys during the session, without La Citadelle seeing or keeping them. Your keys remain exclusively in your hands: nobody else can move your bitcoins, and no remote access is ever installed on your devices.

There is no online payment. After the discovery call, your package is confirmed by paying a 25% deposit, which secures your session booking. The balance is paid as set out in the written confirmation. All payments are made by bank transfer, in euros or in bitcoin.

Yes. Cancellation is free of charge up to 7 days before the appointment, in which case your deposit is returned. After that, no refund is given. To reschedule a session, let La Citadelle know as early as possible by phone, email or messaging app so you can agree on a new slot together.

A typical session lasts 2.5 hours, privately, at your home. Depending on the package and your needs, support can range from 2 to 10 hours, in time slots between 9 am and 5 pm. The planned duration is agreed together during the discovery call, before the session is booked.

La Citadelle works in Franche-Comté, and also throughout France. Based in Pontarlier, it travels to clients' homes in the Haut-Doubs, the Doubs and Besançon as well as in other French regions. The ÉTENDARD talk can also be delivered remotely, by video conference.

No. La Citadelle is not an investment adviser: it does not sell bitcoins, manage any funds, recommend purchases or promise any return. Its role is purely technical and educational: teaching you how to store and use Bitcoin securely while remaining the sole owner of your keys.

For BOUCLIER and COFFRE, nothing: your computer or smartphone is enough. For REMPART, you need a hardware wallet: Ledger Nano S Plus, Nano X or Nano Gen5, Blockstream Jade, Jade Plus or Jade Core, or BitBox02 or BitBox02 Nova. DONJON also requires a mini PC. We advise you before any purchase.

BOUCLIER sets up a software wallet on your computer or smartphone: ideal for a first year of exploration, with no hardware to buy. REMPART sets up a vault on a hardware wallet that keeps your keys offline, to protect larger holdings over the long term. REMPART includes all BOUCLIER benefits.

A Bitcoin node is a computer that runs the full Bitcoin software. It keeps a copy of the blockchain and checks every network rule itself. This lets you verify your own transactions without trusting a third party, while strengthening decentralisation. Setting one up in your home is what the DONJON package is for.

Yes, with the ÉTENDARD package: a clear Bitcoin talk structured in four parts (fundamentals, ecosystem, value and adoption, practical aspects). It is designed for the general public or professionals, or run as an interactive workshop, in person or online, for companies, associations, local authorities and event organisers.

Every package includes one year of learning support from the date of the session. For twelve months, you can ask questions and get help using the tools that were installed: receiving and sending bitcoins, running an update, checking a backup or applying good security practices.

No. You can have your wallet set up before your very first purchase: it is actually the best way to start, with the right tools and habits from day one. You will know where to send your bitcoins and how to protect them, without ever leaving them on an exchange.

Because you then depend entirely on that company to access your money. If it goes bankrupt, gets hacked or freezes withdrawals, your bitcoins may become inaccessible, sometimes permanently. With self-custody, you are the only one holding your private keys: no exchange can freeze your funds on your behalf.

Your bitcoins are not "inside" the device: they remain recorded on the blockchain. With your recovery phrase, properly backed up, you restore access to your funds on a new device. Anyone who finds the device is blocked by the PIN code. That is why protecting this phrase is at the heart of every session.

Not only. COFFRE improves your everyday cybersecurity, whether or not you own bitcoins: password manager, two-factor authentication, next-generation VPN, ethical browser and search engine, and a highly secure mailbox. It is a private session of about 2.5 hours at your home, with one year of learning support.

Yes. Besides individuals, La Citadelle works with professionals, associations, organisations and local authorities: training, workshops, talks and strategic advice on adopting technologies that respect their users. Each engagement is tailored to the audience, level and goals agreed together during the discovery call.

Have your devices charged and up to date (computer and/or smartphone), any hardware wallet or mini PC you have bought still in its sealed packaging, and a quiet place to work without interruptions. Everything is confirmed during the discovery call, depending on the chosen package and your equipment.

No, equipment is not included in the services: you buy it yourself, after our advice, ideally from the manufacturer or an official reseller. Only the exclusive REMPART Le Paradigme Bitcoin offer includes hardware, a Ledger Nano X or a Blockstream Jade, along with a ticket for the event.

Nicolas Schmitt is a blockchain consultant, founder of La Citadelle and of the Pontarlier BTC community. He has studied Bitcoin since 2019, trained at the Swiss Blockchain Institute in Geneva (2021 and 2022) and earned the Alyra "Consultant Blockchain" certificate in 2022. He co-organised three editions of Le Paradigme Bitcoin.

You can fill in the booking form, call +33 6 79 67 76 91, email contact@lacitadelle.io, or send a message on Telegram (@LACITADELLE2501), Signal (Lacitadelle.2501) or WhatsApp. Nicolas Schmitt gets back to you quickly for a free, no-obligation discovery call to choose the right package.