Cailhau Gate

Beneath its castle-like appearance, this gateway, is also known as Porte du Palais, and serves a dual purpose. Built in the 15th century to celebrate the victory of King Charles VIII, it is both a defensive gateway and a triumphal arch. If you take a closer look, you’ll discover that it combines elements of both functions: on the defensive side, you can see the location of the portcullis and the knocker, the crenellated gallery and the wooden shutter. On the glorious triumph side, it has many decorative features, such as beautiful dormer windows, a bell tower, the statue of the king, etc. If you’d like to see the interior of one of these old rampart gates, you can visit Cailhau Gate. There is an entrance fee, but you don’t need to book in advance. This will give you an insight into the world of the people who protected the town and lived there. Find out about how they operated the portcullis, the railings that closed the gates, or the stunner, which, as its name suggests, was used to stun the enemy. This was often a hole in the sentry walk through which soldiers could drop objects, stones, molten lead or burning liquids to get rid of the enemy. In a nutshell, a whole host of things we no longer use, but which are part of our collective past and that you can discover today.