Photo : Jibi44, avec l'aimable autorisation de LP de Nantes / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Château des ducs de Bretagne
The Château des ducs de Bretagne, in Nantes, was the residence of the dukes before becoming a royal fortress after Brittany was joined to France in 1532, the year the Edict of Union was signed there. Its reconstruction was launched around 1466 by Duke Francis II, with the architect Mathurin Rodier, then continued by his daughter Anne of Brittany. Louis XII married Anne there in 1499, according to the original record.
The complex combines two worlds: on the courtyard side, a palace with refined white limestone façades; on the outside, massive walls of schist and granite designed to defend the stronghold. In 1598, the Edict of Nantes, which ended the wars of religion, was promulgated there. In the eighteenth century, the military administration took it over, and in 1800 the explosion of a powder magazine destroyed part of the buildings.
Acquired by the city of Nantes in 1915, the castle underwent restoration between 1997 and 2007. It now houses the Nantes history museum, opened in 2007. You can stroll in the courtyard and on the ramparts. Visiting conditions should be checked on the official website.
