Gennes Amphitheatre

Gennes, France

Remains of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre date from the 2th century AD. The venue built for gladiator and huntings shows had originally seats for 5000 spectators.

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Address

D70, Gennes, France
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Details

Founded: 2nd century AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in France
Historical period: Roman Gaul (France)

More Information

www.megalithic.co.uk

Rating

3.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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Cunault Abbey Church (2,9 km)
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Angers Cathedral (28,1 km)
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Museé des Beaux Arts (28,1 km)
Château de Montreuil-Bellay (23,3 km)

User Reviews

Matleouf Gaudicheau (3 years ago)
Très jolie
Te trompes pas de chemin (3 years ago)
L’originalité de l’endroit fait son charme, quelques ruines restent apparentes une grande partie a été ensevelie pour être protégée de l’érosion. Il est possible de parcourir le théâtre par un chemin qui suit le haut des gradins, par contre le sentier n’est pas trop praticable si vous avez des problèmes pour vous déplacer.
Arnaud Guillon (3 years ago)
Calme et reposant en accès libre.
Celine henry (3 years ago)
Un peu déçue. Lieu encore très bien conservé mais un peu perdu dans la compréhension du site. Nous trouvons cependant quelques panneaux explicatif . Parking . Mais difficulté à faire le tour du théâtre pour une personne a mobilité réduite.
Philippe C (3 years ago)
La région de Gennes a Chenehutte recelle quelques vestiges des peuplements gallo-romains des Ier-IIIe siècles qui mériteraient bien un itinéraire balisé et un pavillon d'acceuil. Ils sont malheureusement peu mis en évidence car ils ne relèvent je suppose ni de l'Etat ni de la Région. Le témoin le plus tangible est l'amphithéâtre. Mais il y a également des traces d'édifices cultuels, de deux petites villes. L'amphithéâtre est bien indiqué et facilement accessible par la D70. A part quelques panneaux il n'y a aucune infrastructure. Un sentier permet d'en faire le tour. Un parking permet d'accueillir 5-6 véhicules. Accès libre.
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Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

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