Chateaux of Brittany
Château de Chassay
There was a Gallo-Roman villa on the site of Château de Chassay already in the 6th century AD. The castle is mentioned in the 1096 in a bishop letter. The current château was built in the 16th century. King Henry IV visited there in 1598. The castle was abandoned from the French Revolution until 1827, when it was acquired by Countess de Bondy. Today it is owned by the municipality.Château du Dourdy
Château du Dourdy was built in 1913 and is surrounded by 22-hectare grounds bordering the Pont l'Abbé river. Today it is a hotel and camping site.Château du Crévy
Château du Crévy dates from the 12th century, but the current castle was built in the 14th century and again in 1697. There has been a Roman oppidium on the site.Château de Hac
Château de Hac is a large castle built in the first half of 15th century. It has a rectangular main building flanked of five turrets. The present castle has not been altered much. The Gothic furniture and interior date from the 15th and 16th centuries. At the beginning of 15th century, it was the residence of the constable Arthur de Richemont and was the prerogative of the families of Richemont, Hingant, Tournemine ...Château de Montafilan
Château de Montafilan was built in the 12-13th centuries. The history of castle origins is quite unknown. It was however demolished already in the 16th century and stones were used to other buildings. Montafilan was a mighty castle on a steep hill. There were eight tower, today two of them and some walls remain.Château de Guilguiffin
A family named Guilguiffin appears in the annals of the area, but seems to die out in the 14th century. Guilllaume De Ty Varlen settled at Guilguiffin and had a significant fortified residence. Jean Louis Armand Fortuné De Plouec, born in 1694, replaced the ancient manorr with the current chateau between 1750 and 1760, using plans drawn up by the Quimper architect Nicolas Pochic. In 1797 the donjon, a lead-capped t ...Château de Rustéphan
The Château de Rustéphan is a small, ruined 15th-16th century manor-house erected by Jean Du Faou, chamberlain of France and grand seneschal of Brittany, who built the domaine in 1420. According to tradition, the original manor was built by the son of a Duke of Brittany, named Étienne, Count of Penthièvre and seigneur of Nizon, who died in 1137.The current structure was built by Jean du Faou. Ac ...Manoir du Plessis-Madeuc
The Manor House of Plessix-Madeuc was built in the 16th century and underwent significant changes up until the 17th century. The building has excellent proportions and the tower, which dominates the southwest side, was traditionally the main living quarters of the lord of the Manor. The main door of the mansion is crowned by a triangular pediment decorated with the arms of the family of the Gaudemont Monforière, ow ...Château de La Guyomarais
Château de La Guyomarais was built in the 16th century, but it the estate was owned by Guyomarais family already in the 15th century. Today castle is a private property.Château de Boutavent Ruins
Château de Boutavent may have been built in the 11th century, but there is no written evidence of exact date. It has been confirmed that during the 13th and 14th century, the castle belonged to the Lords of Montfort. According a legend during the 7th century the castle was the residence of Judicaël, King of Domnonée, and that it had been the place where the King and saint Éloi met. This last was s ...Manoir de Mézarnou
The Manoir de Mézarnou is a fortified 16th century manor-house built on the site of an old medieval building, property in 1091, of Pierre André de Parcevaux, husband of Sybille de Trogoff. In 1145, Ollivier de Parcevaux donated to the abbey of Relecq. In 1250, Pierre de Parcevaux accompanied sire de Chateaubriand to the Holy Land with King Louis and the Duke of Brittany during the Seventh Crusade. In 1297, P ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Eketorp Fort
Eketorp is an Iron Age fort in southeastern Öland, which was extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to medieval safe haven and thence a cavalry garrison. In the 20th century it was further reconstructed to become a heavily visited tourist site and a location for re-enactment of medieval battles. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Öland that has been completely excavated, yielding a total of over 24,000 individual artifacts. The entirety of southern Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle.
The indigenous peoples of the Iron Age constructed the original fortification about 400 AD, a period known to have engendered contact between Öland natives with Romans and other Europeans. The ringfort in that era is thought to have been a gathering place for religious ceremonies and also a place of refuge for the local agricultural community when an outside enemy appeared. The circular design was believed to be chosen because the terrain is so level that attack from any side was equally likely. The original diameter of this circular stone fortification was about 57 metres. In the next century the stone was moved outward to construct a new circular structure of about 80 metres in diameter. At this juncture there were known to be about fifty individual cells or small structures within the fort as a whole. Some of these cells were in the center of the fortified ring, and some were actually built into the wall itself.
In the late 600s AD the ringfort was mysteriously abandoned, and it remained unused until the early 11th century. This 11th century work generally built upon the earlier fort, except that stone interior cells were replaced with timber structures, and a second outer defensive wall was erected.
Presently the fort is used as a tourist site for visitors to Öland to experience a medieval fortification for this region. A museum within the castle walls displays a few of the large number of artefacts retrieved by the National Heritage Board during the major decade long excavation ending in 1974. Inside the fort visitors are greeted by actors in medieval costumes who assume the roles of period artisans and merchants who might have lived there nine centuries earlier. There are also re-enactment scenes of skirmishes and other dramatic events of daily life from the Middle Ages.
Eketorp lies a few kilometers west of Route 136. There is an ample unpaved parking area situated approximately two kilometers west of the paved Öland perimeter highway. There is also a gift shop on site. During peak summer visitation, there are guided tours available. Visitors are assessed an admission charge.