Château des Ducs d'Alençon

En un regard

Le château en bref

In the heart of Alençon, the Dukes' château is now little more than the remnant of a vast fortress. Founded in the 11th century, enlarged with a keep in the following century, and modernised until the 15th century, it was the residence of the Dukes of Alençon, whose authority extended from the north of the Sarthe to the Manche. Largely dismantled and deprived of its keep at the end of the 18th century, it has retained only its imposing entrance pavilion. From 1824 to 2010, the buildings served as a local prison, and the Gestapo held Resistance members there during the Occupation. Bought back by the town in 2018, the site has seen its former courtyards laid out as an urban park, the Parc Simone Veil. Guided tours allow visitors to climb up to the terrace of the towers.