Fougères Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Fougères Castle, one of the most imposing fortresses in France, covers two hectares in the Nançon valley. Founded in the 11th century as a timber motte-and-bailey, it was destroyed by Henry II Plantagenet in 1176, then rebuilt in stone by the baron Raoul II, using local schist and granite. The 13th century saw the construction of the round towers Hallaye, Guémadeuc and Coigny, which eliminated blind spots; the 14th century brought the spectacular Mélusine Tower under the counts of Alençon, and the dukes of Brittany had the Raoul and Surienne towers built in the 1430s–1450s, among the most advanced artillery towers of their time. Designed to defend the north-eastern frontier of the Duchy of Brittany (the Marches of Brittany), the castle lost its strategic role after Brittany's union with France in 1532, then successively served as a prison, a pleasure garden, a museum and a shoe factory, before becoming a public monument in 1892. Partially listed as a monument historique and registered as an archaeological site since 18 April 1914.