Château des Ducs de Bretagne

Nantes, France

The Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is a large castle located in Nantes. It served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1941. It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries, subsequently becoming the Breton residence of the French Monarchy. Today the castle houses the Nantes History Museum.

The restored edifice now includes the new Nantes History Museum, installed in 32 of the castle rooms. The museum presents more than 850 objects of collection with the aid of multimedia devices. The castle and the museum try to offer a modern vision of the heritage by presenting the past, the present and the future of the city. Night-time illuminations at the castle further reinforce the revival of the site. The 500-metre round walk on the fortified ramparts provides views not just of the castle buildings and courtyards but also of the town.

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Address

9 Rue des États, Nantes, France
See all sites in Nantes

Details

Founded: 1207
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

More Information

nantes360.free.fr
en.wikipedia.org
www.chateau-nantes.fr

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Porte Saint-Pierre (0,3 km)
Nantes Cathedral (0,2 km)
Notre-Dame de Bon-Port (1,6 km)
Château de Chassay (6,1 km)


Château de Clisson (24,9 km)
Château de Goulaine (11,1 km)
Château d'Ancenis (32,6 km)
Château de Blain (32,2 km)
Château de Clermont (20,3 km)
Château de la Motte-Glain (51 km)
Château de l'Oiselinière (22,9 km)

User Reviews

Anne West-Leclou (8 months ago)
Amazing museum - very educational. You can choose short or extended self-guided visits
Akshay Mannur (9 months ago)
Beautiful castle. Good evidence of history you will just spend some nice time in here after visiting
alex Taylor (9 months ago)
Easily a two day visit. It's huge. Audio available and displays well set out.
Seamus McInerney (10 months ago)
Love this spot. Especially the coffee shop in the courtyard. Access to the courtyard and ramparts is free. There are charges for the chateaux itself and the exhibition space. Have not yet visited the chateaux but did visit an excellent visiting exhibition on the Vikings.
Khanh DO (12 months ago)
Really nice experience spending here. People who enjoy to engage more in history events can spend up to 2 more hours here, to see all the events that took placr in Nantes in gẻneral, and in this chateau alone. It explains deeply about the history of Nantes and chateau de Bretagne. The Chateau also opens for free for those who are just interested in the landscape of the chateau. Besides, The castle also have a nice green grass yard surround it for those who want a small picnic outside, bath in the sun and enjoy the chill air of the chateau.
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Hochosterwitz Castle

Hochosterwitz Castle is considered to be one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles. The rock castle is one of the state's landmarks and a major tourist attraction.

The site was first mentioned in an 860 deed issued by King Louis the German of East Francia, donating several of his properties in the former Principality of Carantania to the Archdiocese of Salzburg. In the 11th century Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg ceded the castle to the Dukes of Carinthia from the noble House of Sponheim in return for their support during the Investiture Controversy. The Sponheim dukes bestowed the fiefdom upon the family of Osterwitz, who held the hereditary office of the cup-bearer in 1209.

In the 15th century, the last Carinthian cup-bearer, Georg of Osterwitz was captured in a Turkish invasion and died in 1476 in prison without leaving descendants. So after four centuries, on 30 May 1478, the possession of the castle reverted to Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg.

Over the next 30 years, the castle was badly damaged by numerous Turkish campaigns. On 5 October 1509, Emperor Maximilian I handed the castle as a pledge to Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, then Bishop of Gurk. Bishop Lang undertook a substantial renovation project for the damaged castle.

About 1541, German king Ferdinand I of Habsburg bestowed Hochosterwitz upon the Carinthian governor Christof Khevenhüller. In 1571, Baron George Khevenhüller acquired the citadel by purchase. He fortified to deal with the threat of Turkish invasions of the region, building an armory and 14 gates between 1570 and 1586. Such massive fortification is considered unique in citadel construction.

Since the 16th century, no major changes have been made to Hochosterwitz. It has also remained in the possession of the Khevenhüller family as requested by the original builder, George Khevenhüller. A marble plaque dating from 1576 in the castle yard documents this request.

A specific feature is the access way to the castle passing through a total of 14 gates, which are particularly prominent owing to the castle's situation in the landscape. Tourists are allowed to walk the 620-metre long pathway through the gates up to the castle; each gate has a diagram of the defense mechanism used to seal that particular gate. The castle rooms hold a collection of prehistoric artifacts, paintings, weapons, and armor, including one set of armor 2.4 metres tall, once worn by Burghauptmann Schenk.

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