Château de Saint-Malo, Saint-Malo, France

Château de Saint-Malo was built between 1424 and 1690, first by Jean V, the Duke of Brittany. The Duke Francois II built the first tower in 1475. In 1590 during the Wars of Religion the castle was occupied by local people, who wanted to prevent local governor to gave the city to Protestant king Henry IV.

The château was modified in the 17th century according the design of famous fortress architect Sebastian Vauban. In the 19th century it functioned as barracks. Today it is a museum, covering a number of themes including the long maritime history of St-Malo, 19th century writers of which Chateaubriand is the most well known, WWII occupation and the destruction and reconstruction of the town.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Max Pain (2 years ago)
Nice place to stay if you travelling by car. - Hotel restaurant was closed for 2 days... Staff (it’s actually same lady who doing everything - reception, helping with luggage, cooking, serving...) not really great and willing to make you stay pleasant..

Sasha Turilin (2 years ago)
Nice and cheese old castle, good restaurant, really quiet, I can recommend it

Russell Newton (3 years ago)
Hard to find. I tried two SatNav and both had trouble. Was frustrating start to my visit after a long drive. Rooms are nice good size and comfortable. Dinner was decent but slightly expensive.

Matthew Fister (3 years ago)
We had a great time!! Nice and cozy, quiet and well appointed! We spent one night in late March. Ate dinner at the restaurant and it was superb!! Wish we could have stayed a weekend!

Ron Underwood (7 years ago)
Nice place. Rooms very nice. Stayed in 104. Owners and/or staff were great. Very easy from st. Malo by car. Very close. I would stay here again.

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Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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