Château d'Ancenis

Ancenis-Saint-Géréon

On the bank of the Loire, Ancenis guarded the entrance to Brittany. According to Wikipedia (English), the first fortification was a motte built in 990 by Aremburga, widow of Duke Guerech; a plaque cites 984, without documentary source. In the Middle Ages the château underwent many sieges: Henry II Plantagenet, John Lackland, Saint Louis, Charles of Blois, Louis XI, Francis II of Brittany. In 1411 the authorities ordered the lord and lady of Ancenis to stop detaining passing boats and heavily taxing their cargo. At the end of the 15th century, during the Mad War, the château was dismantled in 1488, and the sources differ on the order: Charles VIII according to one, Anne of Brittany according to the other. The lord, Jean IV de Rieux, then received 100,000 écus in compensation. Around 1529 Claude I de Rieux and Suzanne de Bourbon had a Renaissance residence built. In 1626 Richelieu had the fortress dismantled; around 1840 the moats were filled in to build quays, and an Ursuline boarding school moved in in 1850. Listed as a historic monument in 1977, the château has been the property of the town since 1986; the residence was rehabilitated from 2013 to 2015.

Getting there: On the Loire quay. The château cannot be visited in full; the Renaissance residence hosts an exhibition on its history, with seasonal opening hours (to be checked). Coordinates: château in OpenStreetMap (Nominatim).

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

Ambient sound