Château de Rouen

Rouen, France

Château de Rouen was a castle built by Philip II of France from 1204 to 1210 following his capture of the duchy from John, duke of Normandy and king of England. Located outside the medieval town to its north, in a dominant position, it played a military role in the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. It was the main seat of power, administration and politics in the duchy of Normandy for nearly 400 years.

It was here that Joan of Arc was imprisoned in December 1430 and tried from 21 February to 23 May 1431. Vulnerable to artillery like other medieval fortresses, all but the keep (now known as the Tour Jeanne d'Arc) was dismantled in 1591 by Henry IV of France. The pointed roof of the keep was added in restoration works beginning in the 1870s. During the Second World War the tower was camouflaged and turned into a bunker by the occupying German forces. It is now open to the public.

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Address

Rue du Donjon 2, Rouen, France
See all sites in Rouen

Details

Founded: 1204-1210
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Rouen Cathedral (0,7 km)
St. Ouen's Church (0,6 km)
Church of Saint-Maclou (0,8 km)
Museum of Fine Arts (0,2 km)
Lycée Pierre-Corneille (0,5 km)


Monet's Garden (52,3 km)
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Château de Dieppe (53,2 km)
Château Gaillard (32,2 km)
St. Jacques Church (53,3 km)
Abbey of Saint-Georges (9,4 km)
St. Rémy Church (53,2 km)
Collegiate Church Notre-Dame (48,5 km)
Château de Vascoeuil (20,5 km)

User Reviews

Anu Haden (3 years ago)
Interesting piece of history, but there's no way to interact with it--no publicly posted knowledge, and no apparent ability to enter. Overall very unassuming and easy to miss. There's lots of construction in the area, so perhaps it's undergoing renovations?
Dave Sarks (3 years ago)
The tower where Jean d'Arc was imprisoned.
Ryan Korte (3 years ago)
Just amazing, and over 1000 yrs old.
Marat Rakhimov (3 years ago)
It is important about work time! If you want go without game and guide, one or few person, you can do it only at 14:00 to 16:00. Time of work official - for groupe game with guide.
Rod Sangala (3 years ago)
Cool old (1000 year old) piece of History. It was closed when there. There are doing some Reno or refirb.
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Beckov Castle

The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends. One of them narrates the origin of the name of castle derived from that of jester Becko for whom the Duke Stibor had the castle built.

Another legend has it that the lord of the castle had his servant thrown down from the rock because he protected his child from the lords favourite dog. Before his death, the servant pronounced a curse saying that they would meet in a year and days time, and indeed precisely after that time the lord was bitten by a snake and fell down to the same abyss.

The well-conserved ruins of the castle, now the National Cultural Monument, are frequently visited by tourists, above all in July when the castle festival takes place. The former Ambro curia situated below the castle now shelters the exhibition of the local history.

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