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Founded: 14th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Valois Dynasty and Hundred Year's War (France)
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The Château de Tallard, in the Hautes-Alpes, dates back to the 10th century. Originally a small fortress under the protection of the Princes of Orange, it was expanded into a castle in the 14th century. Over the centuries, it was enhanced with a grand hall, a Gothic chapel, and a fortified entrance.
The castle suffered damage during the Wars of Religion and was later restored by various owners. It was abandoned after being burned in 1692 but revived in the 20th century. The town of Tallard purchased it in 1957, leading to ongoing restorations.
Today, the château, a historic monument since 1969, is undergoing further renovations to host cultural events. It features defensive walls, round towers, a chapel, a guardhouse, and a partially ruined keep.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.