The Château des ducs de Bretagne (English: Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is a large castle located in the city of Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique département of France; it served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1956. It is located on the right bank of the Loire, which formerly fed its ditches. It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries, subsequently becoming the Breton residence of the French Monarchy.
The castle has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1840. [1] Today the castle houses the Nantes History Museum.
Starting in the 1990s, the town of Nantes undertook a massive programme of restoration and repairs to return the site to its former glory as an emblem of the history of Nantes and Brittany. Following 15 years of works and three years of closure to the public, it was reopened on 9 February 2007, and is now a popular tourist attraction.
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 (1,600 ft) round walk on the fortified ramparts provides views not just of the castle buildings and courtyards but also of the town.
The exhibition ends with a vision of the city, a multimedia creation by a contemporary artist, occupying the entire area of the 32nd room. Pierrick Sorin is the first guest artist.
The night-lighting brings out the architectural complexity of the site within an urban context. The illumination was designed by Sylvie Sieg and Pierre Nègre of the Atelier Lumière and won the Light Originator Price of the Lumiville Trophy 2007.
On 12 October, after being asked by the Chinese regime not to use the words “Genghis Khan” and “Mongolia", Nantes History Museum stopped an exhibition project dedicated to the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire in partnership with a Chinese museum”. The director of the Nantes museum, Bertrand Guillet, says: “We made the decision to stop this production in the name of the human, scientific and ethical values that we defend in our institution”. [2]
Brittany is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period of Roman occupation. It became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as a separate nation under the crown.
The Château d'Angers is a castle in the city of Angers in the Loire Valley, in the département of Maine-et-Loire, in France. Founded in the 9th century by the Counts of Anjou, it was expanded to its current size in the 13th century. It is located overhanging the River Maine. It is a listed historical monument since 1875. Now open to the public, the Château d'Angers is home of the Apocalypse Tapestry.
The Château de Saumur, originally built as a castle and later developed as a château, is located in the French town of Saumur, in the Maine-et-Loire département. It was originally constructed in the 10th century by Theobald I, Count of Blois, as a fortified stronghold against Norman attacks. It overlooks the confluence of the rivers Loire and Thouet. In 1026 it came into the hands of Fulk Nerra, count of Anjou, who bequeathed it to his Plantagenet heirs. Following its destruction in 1067, the castle was rebuilt by Henry II of England in the later 12th century.
Ussé is a castle in the Indre-et-Loire département, in France. The stronghold at the edge of the Chinon forest overlooking the Indre Valley was first fortified in the eleventh century by the Norman seigneur of Ussé, Gueldin de Saumur, who surrounded the fort with a palisade on a high terrace. The site passed to the Comte de Blois, who rebuilt it in stone.
Pays de la Loire is one of the eighteen regions of France, located on the country's Atlantic coast. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital and most populated city, Nantes, one of a handful of French "balancing metropolises". In 2020, Pays de la Loire had a population of 3,832,120.
La Chapelle-Glain is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique département in western France.
The Château de Vitré is a medieval castle in the town of Vitré, in the Ille-et-Vilaine département of France.
Sarzeau is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.
Iffendic is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. It is located in the North West of France.
Sauveterre-la-Lémance is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France.
The Château des Ducs de Joyeuse is a castle in the commune of Couiza in the Aude département of France.
The Château de Pornic is a restored castle in the commune of Pornic in the Loire-Atlantique département of France, 50 km from Nantes. It is also known as the "Château de Barbe Bleue" (Bluebeard) because it belonged to Gilles de Rais.
The Château de Clisson is a castle in the commune of Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique département of France. It stands on the right bank of the Sèvre Nantaise.
The Château de Blain or Château de la Groulais, is a mediaeval castle constructed in the 13th century and heavily remodelled in the 16th, located in the commune of Blain in the Loire-Atlantique département of France. It formed part of the frontier defences of Brittany along with the towns and castles of Vitré, Fougères, Châteaubriant, Ancenis and Clisson.
The Château de Nobles is a castle in the French commune of La Chapelle-sous-Brancion, in the department of Saône-et-Loire. The castle is privately owned and is not open to the public. It has been listed since 1946 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
The Château de Châteaubriant is a medieval castle strongly modified during the Renaissance, located in the commune of Châteaubriant in the Loire-Atlantique département of France. The original castle was founded in the 11th century on the eastern border of Brittany and, such as the fortresses in Vitré, Fougères, Ancenis and Clisson, it was defending the duchy against Anjou and the Kingdom of France.
The Château d'Ancenis is a castle in the town and commune of Ancenis in the Loire-Atlantique département of France. The castle is on the bank of the Loire.
The Château de Poncin is a former castle, now a stately residence, in the commune of Poncin in the Ain département of France. The present château on the site was constructed from the mid-18th century; parts of the original castle remain.
The Château d'Allègre is a ruined castle in the commune of Allègre in the Haute-Loire département of France.