Château de Clisson

Clisson

A fortress of the Marches of Brittany, the castle is attested from 1058–1060 under Baudri de Clisson. Enlarged in the 13th century by Guillaume de Clisson into a polygonal enclosure with round towers, and given a keep in the 14th century by Olivier IV, it is the birthplace of Olivier V de Clisson (1336–1407), Constable of France and companion of Du Guesclin. After 1466, Duke Francis II of Brittany added a second fortress: he married Marguerite de Foix here in 1471, a union from which Anne of Brittany was born in 1477. In September 1588, Henri of Navarre tried in vain to besiege the stronghold, soon reinforced with three terraced bastions. In 1793, during the Wars of the Vendée, the castle was burned as Kléber's "infernal columns" passed through. In 1807, the sculptor François-Frédéric Lemot bought it and chose to keep it as a romantic ruin, surrounding it with Italianate gardens that give Clisson its Tuscan face. Listed as a historic monument on 13 August 1924 and owned by the Loire-Atlantique département since 1962, it now hosts exhibitions and ongoing restoration work.

Getting there : Place du Minage / 1 rue de la Collégiale, 44190 Clisson, in the town centre. Open all year except January (closed on Tuesdays outside July–August); online ticketing at billetterie.chateau-clisson.fr, tel. 02 40 54 02 22. Accessible to people with disabilities.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound