Photo : Jack ma / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Château de Montendre
Built in the 9th century on the ruins of a Roman oppidum, the castle of Montendre, in the Charente-Maritime, was enlarged in the 12th century and remodelled in the 15th. From that time survive the Round Tower, part of the curtain walls and the imposing Square Tower, which houses Montendre's museum of folk art and traditions.
The site also includes the ruins of the Marquis de La Rochefoucauld's manor and an open-air theatre, the setting for many summer events. It offers a wide panorama over the town and towards the Gironde estuary.
Before the stone castle there was a wooden building, where Charlemagne is said to have come in pursuit of Duke Hunald. The castle had several owners, including the La Rochefoucauld family; in the early 19th century it was home to the Marquis de Brosse, who, it is said, accompanied the singing at Sunday mass on the violin. In the park are the remains of a window saved from a demolition in the town centre.
