The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany

Right in the heart of medieval Nantes, the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany welcomes you to explore its ramparts, courtyard and moat for a leap back in time and history. In 57 BC, we find ourselves among the Namnetes, a Gallic tribe of Armorica, with Nantes as its capital. Invaded by the Romans, they became Gallo-Romans in the town of Condevicnum. To defend themselves from invaders, they obviously built a Gallo-Roman wall, which can still be seen today. In the 13th century, the first Dukes of Brittany took advantage of this fortified wall to build their own castle. It was enlarged over time. However, during the reign of François II, it was completely rebuilt because the monarch considered it was not big enough for a city such as Nantes. As the last Duke of Brittany, he wanted a castle that could serve two purposes. Firsty, as a superb ducal residence, symbolising the power of the Dukes of Brittany, and secondly as a military fortress to resist the royalty. At the time, Brittany was an independent territory and the King of France, Charles VIII, wanted to attach it to his kingdom. Strategically located, the fortress, was the town’s first line of defence. On the residential side, he created the Grand Logis, in the inner courtyard, in a flamboyant Gothic style typical of this era. But in 1491 a key event in the history of Brittany took place as Charles VIII finally took possession of the castle. A year later, upon the death of François II, his daughter Anne of Brittany married Charles VIII becoming the Queen of France. The king allowed her to keep her title and gave her the governance of Brittany. Taking over the work her father had wished for, she completed the ramparts and had the Crown Tower built, symbolising the queen’s power. After Brittany officially became part of France in 1532, the castle became the official residence of kings of France in Brittany, making Nantes one of the kingdom’s major cities and allowing the monarchy to assert its power in the provinces. In 1915, the castle became the town’s property, later in the 90s, extensive restoration work was carried out, from towers to façades nothing was left out. After 15 years of work, you can finally admire the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany in its new-found splendour. If you want to go further, you can visit the castle and its various rooms, as well as the history museum, depicting the city through the major themes of its time, such as its industrial past, the two world wars, and its infamous links with colonial trade. As an extra treat, take a tour of the ramparts at nightfall! It offers an illuminated view of the castle and the city of Nantes!