Château de Lanniron, Quimper, France

Château de Lanniron belonged to the bishops of Quimper since the 12th century. In the 15th century, Lord Bertrand de Rosmadec erected a new manor which his successors used until the end of the 18th century either as a permanent residence or a summer residence. In the 17th century, Lord François de Coëtlogon extended the property. He will be remembered not only for his great deeds as a bishop but also for creating wonderful gardens.

The main embellishments of Lanniron were the large canal, the fountains, the ornamental Lake of Neptune and the Orangerie which is now the place for concerts during the musical weeks of Quimper. Also Lord Ploeuc and Lord Farcy beautified Lanniron and the manor was extended.

During the revolution, Lanniron sadly declined and it was subsequently sold by the State in 1791. It was looted, it had several owners for about 10 years and Emmanuel Harrington converted the manor to a Palladian residence. From plannings, that were drawn in London, we can deduce that Harrington wanted to modernise the gardens by removing the terraces. Fortunately, he did not have the necessary time to execute his project.

Charles de Kerret, the grandfather of the present owners, became the owner of Lanniron in 1833. He also brought back Sequoïas and Wellingtonias. Lanniron suffered a lot during the German occupation in the last war. Around 1950 one of the main features of the big canal, its water, was deprived. The camping site of Orangerie de Lanniron was created in 1969 in order to maintain the survival of the property and to attract tourists to the banks of the River Odet and its region.

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Château de Lanniron

User Reviews

Emz Lagundino (2 years ago)
Beautiful, and very relaxing Parc with a garden and a view of the chateau..really stunning..worth the visit..its very massive great place to stroll

Gijs Leffelaar (2 years ago)
9 euro entrance fee is a bit much to have a walk in a garden. Though the children did like the climbing and bouncing activities in the trampoforest.

Joe Feehan (3 years ago)
Good facilities for all forms of camping. Well laid out and serviced. Had a wonderful two weeks holiday. Aqua park pool is a great feature. Very close to Quimper and supermarkets. Nice walks around gardens and also to town centre.

Steve The Techy (3 years ago)
We camped here for a couple of nights. It suited us very well. A very large campsite, but very quiet and uncrowded. It was out of season. Lovely to listen to the birds at dawn. On the site there was plenty to see , and plenty of areas to walk to. Fortunately most of the amenities were closed. This was May. The swimming pool and the shops were closed. The golf course and the bar/restaurant were open. The is a nice walk into the town centre, you don't have to walk down any roads to get there.

Bob Payne (3 years ago)
Great for a motor- home stop for one or two nights... maybe more. Spacious pitches, water and hookups closeby. Restaurant and bar a bit of a walk but seemed popular. Loos and showers clean and modern. For a longer stay there is the 9 hole golf course and range and the aqua park. Expensive if you don't use all that is available but still worth a stop I think.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Lorca Castle

Castle of Lorca (Castillo de Lorca) is a fortress of medieval origin constructed between the 9th and 15th centuries. It consists of a series of defensive structures that, during the Middle Ages, made the town and the fortress an impregnable point in the southeast part of the Iberian Peninsula. Lorca Castle was a key strategic point of contention between Christians and Muslims during the Reconquista.

Archaeological excavations have revealed that the site of the castle has been inhabited since Neolithic times.

Muslim Era

It has not been determined exactly when a castle or fortress was first built on the hill. The first written documentation referring to a castle at Lorca is of Muslim origin, which in the 9th century, indicates that the city of Lurqa was an important town in the area ruled by Theudimer (Tudmir). During Muslim rule, Lorca Castle was an impregnable fortress and its interior was divided into two sections by the Espaldón Wall. In the western part, there was an area used to protect livestock and grain in times of danger. The eastern part had a neighbourhood called the barrio de Alcalá.

After Reconquista

Lorca was conquered by the Castilian Infante Don Alfonso, the future Alfonso X, in 1244, and the fortress became a key defensive point against the Kingdom of Granada. For 250 years, Lorca Castle was a watchpoint on the border between the Christian kingdom of Murcia and the Muslim state of Granada.

Alfonso X ordered the construction of the towers known as the Alfonsina and Espolón Towers, and strengthened and fixed the walls. Hardly a trace of the Muslim fortress remained due to this reconstruction. Muslim traces remain in the foundation stones and the wall known as the muro del Espaldón.

The Jewish Quarter was found within the alcazaba, the Moorish fortification, separated from the rest of the city by its walls. The physical separation had the purpose of protecting the Jewish people in the town from harm, but also had the result of keeping Christians and Jews separate, with the Christians inhabiting the lower part of town.

The remains of the Jewish Quarter extended over an area of 5,700 square m, and 12 homes and a synagogue have been found; the synagogue dates from the 14th century and is the only one found in the Murcia. The streets of the town had an irregular layout, adapted to the landscape, and is divided into four terraces. The synagogue was in the central location, and around it were the homes. The homes were of rectangular shape, with various compartmentalized rooms. The living quarters were elevated and a common feature was benches attached to the walls, kitchens, stand for earthenware jars, or cupboards.

Modern history

With the disappearance of the frontier after the conquest of Granada in 1492, Lorca Castle no longer became as important as before. With the expulsion of the Jews by order of Ferdinand and Isabella, Lorca Castle was also depopulated as a result. The castle was abandoned completely, and was almost a complete ruin by the 18th century. In the 19th century, the castle was refurbished due to the War of Spanish Independence. The walls and structures were repaired or modified and its medieval look changed. A battery of cannons was installed, for example, during this time. In 1931 Lorca Castle was declared a National Historic Monument.

Currently, a parador (luxury hotel) has been built within the castle. As a result, archaeological discoveries have been found, including the Jewish Quarter.

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