Château de Caen

Caen

Around 1060, William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy and the future Conqueror, set about enclosing a rocky spur above the Orne with a rampart: this was the birth of the château of Caen, whose enclosure of more than five hectares the museum presents as one of the largest in Europe. His son Henry I Beauclerc raised a square keep there around 1120, which Philip Augustus, master of Normandy in 1204, wrapped in a wall with four corner towers. The Exchequer Hall, the reception and justice hall of the ducal court, is attributed, depending on the source, to William Rufus around 1098, or to Henry I. In July 1346, when Edward III took the town, the castle held out; in 1417 it surrendered to Henry V and remained English until 1450. In 1793 the Convention decreed the demolition of the keep of a town that had risen against it. The château completes the group that William built in Caen, with the Abbaye aux Hommes, where he lies, and the Abbaye aux Dames, each of which has its own entry.

Getting there : Enclosure and gardens freely accessible every day; paying museums inside.

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

Ambient sound