Château de Saumur
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 predations. It overlooks the confluence of the Loire and the 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.
Château de Chaumont
The Château de Chaumont is a castle in Chaumont-sur-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, France. The castle was founded in the 10th century by Odo I, Count of Blois. After Pierre d'Amboise rebelled against Louis XI, the king ordered the castle's destruction. Later in the 15th century Château de Chaumont was rebuilt by Charles I d'Amboise. Protected as a monument historique since 1840, the château was given into state ownership in 1938 and is now open to the public.
Château de Montreuil-Bellay
The Château de Montreuil-Bellay is a historical building in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France, first built on the site of a Gallo-Roman village high on a hill on the banks of the Thouet River. It is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, commonly referred to as Noirmoutier, is a commune located in the northern part of the island of Noirmoutier, just off the coast of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.
Monument historique
Monument historique is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, garden, bridge, or other structure, because of their importance to France's architectural and historical cultural heritage. Both public and privately owned structures may be listed in this way, as well as also movable objects. As of 2012 there were 44,236 monuments listed.
Château de Thibault de Termes
The Château de Thibault de Termes was a medieval castle in the French town and commune of Termes-d'Armagnac, in the Gers département. The keep is the only vestige.
Château de Doumely
The Château de Doumely is a 15th-century fortified castle that dominates the countryside of Porcien, situated in the commune of Doumely-Bégny in the Ardennes département of France.
Castles in Hérault
There are numerous castles in the Hérault départment of France. Most are little more than ruins and many are barely discernible. Castles or their remains may be found at the following locations among others:
- Agel: Medieval builders in the 12th century raised a castle whose location became the centre of the village. The castle controlled strategic routes. The present château comprises a central fortified tower, four other towers and a pigeon loft, and is run as a hotel. It was listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture in 1979.
- Aigues-Vives
- Aumelas: The castle was built from limestone during the late 11th and early 12th centuries and includes the chapel, ditch and enceinte. The existence of the Saint-Sauveur chapel is documented from 1114. The castle was dismantled by royal troops in 1622. Since 1989, it has been listed as a monument historique.
- Autignac: The village retains vestiges of an ancient castle.
- Bélarga: The Château de Bélarga probably dates from the 14th century. It was remodelled in the 15th century and the north wing from this period survives. During the first half of the 17th century a new castle was built to the north of the first. The original castle is mostly constructed from limestone. It is privately owned.
- Brissac: The site was originally a Roman villa, but the castle dates from the 11th century. The North tower was added in the 12th century, with more additions later. During the 1960s it was bought by a visiting American businessman and his French wife. Being told it was going to be destroyed for a film they took pity and he spent the next nine years rebuilding it as sympathetically as possible. It is still privately owned.
- Cabrerolles: Village sited on an important route. The presence of a castle confirms the vital importance of this section of the high country.
- Cabrières: The castle was mentioned in Gregory of Tours' Historia Francorum. The old village was built at the foot of the castle. The site was never unoccupied until Théodebert, future king of Austrasia left the castle to crown himself, accompanied by Deoteria, Countess of Cabrières. According to legend, before leaving for Lorraine, the future queen took care to pack in her baggage some local vine cuttings. These found the hillsides of Moselle to their liking and produced a wine in which the sun of Cabrières shone.
Château de Châlucet
The Château de Châlucet, a ruined castle, is in the commune of Saint-Jean-Ligoure, about 10 km to the south of Limoges, in the département of Haute-Vienne, and less than 2 km from the Pôle de Lanaud.
Droupt-Saint-Basle
Droupt-Saint-Basle is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.
Chabrillan
Chabrillan is a commune of the Drôme département in southeastern France.
Troissy
Troissy is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.
Château de Montpoupon
The Château de Montpoupon is a castle in the commune of Céré-la-Ronde in the Indre-et-Loire département of France. It is situated to the east of Tours, 10 km south of Montrichard in a forested valley.
Château de Chinon
Château de Chinon is a castle located on the bank of the Vienne river in Chinon, France. It was founded by Theobald I, Count of Blois. In the 11th century the castle became the property of the counts of Anjou. In 1156 Henry II of England, a member of the House of Anjou, took the castle from his brother Geoffrey, Count of Nantes after Geoffrey had rebelled for a second time. Henry favoured the Château de Chinon as a residence. Most of the standing structure can be attributed to his reign and he died there in 1189.
Schauwenburg Castle
Schauwenburg Castle in Bertrange in south-western Luxembourg has a history dating back to the Middle Ages when, according to historical references from the early 13th century, the Lords of Bertrange occupied a fortified castle. Today's building originated in the 16th century as testified by the Renaissance windows on the eastern and northern wings, the façade being completed in 1710. Around 1780, the d'Huart family who lived in the castle found the facilities too small and constructed a larger building, the Château de Colnet d'Huart, in the vicinity. Over the year, the Schauwenburg Castle has had many different owners and has been used for a variety of purposes. Since 2008, it has temporarily housed the Commune's administrative offices and served as the town hall.
Château de Vaudémont
The Château de Vaudémont is a ruined 11th-century castle in the commune of Vaudémont in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France. At its greatest extent the castle measures about 500 by 250 metres . The castle is one of a group of four castles built around the same time on highland sites along the Meuse valley between Nancy and Metz in northeast France. The other three castles are Dieulouard, Mousson, and Prény; of the four, Château de Vaudémont is the largest and best preserved. It was built as a hill castle in the 11th century for the Counts of Vaudémont, possibly for Gérard I. The architect is unknown. The remains are part of the curtain wall and the keep, the so-called tour Brunehaut constructed with recycled Gallo-Roman remains. It was repaired during the 15th century, dismantled in 1639 on the orders of Louis XIII, and restored in 1930.
Château de Saint-Ferriol
The Château de Saint-Ferriol is a late medieval - early Renaissance castle, in the village and commune of Saint-Ferriol, in the Aude département in southern France. It is situated on a ridge, overlooking valleys to the north and south, in the heart of the village of St-Ferriol, near the towns of Quillan and Esperaza.
Château de Boulogne
The Château de Boulogne is a well-preserved castle ruin situated in the commune of Saint-Michel-de-Boulogne in the Ardèche département of France.